James Michael Stella was born and raised in South Philadelphia. A graduate of Temple University with a degree in art education, he taught studio art and computer graphics at the secondary level for 42 years.
James is now committed to his own artistic development, preferring to work on paper in a variety of media: graphite, colored pencils, acrylics, and mixed media. His work encompasses an array of subject matters and styles.
His most recent works of art entails paper cast reliefs made from paper pulp. These three-dimensional forms consist of words, phrases, slang expressions, numbers, symbols and questions. The contents of these vocabulary expressions comes from what we read, hear, and speak in present-day society. The arrangements of the individual letters that form the words create dramatic highlights, intense cast shadows, beautiful textures, and space. While the word play produces a humorous reaction the instant one reads the text, the thought-provoking visual statement is revealed when the individual thinks about the words the artist has chosen.
James has had solo exhibitions at several local galleries. He has professionally participated in many local and national fine art juried and group exhibitions. He has received various awards including the DaVinci Award at the DaVinci Art Alliance (Philadelphia). His works are included in numerous private and corporate collections.