In June, the Edina Art Fair once again set up shop along the streets of 50th and France to showcase the talents of local artists. But this year, one piece of art stood out among the rest, by the Edina Art Fair Featured Artist. This year’s winner was Dewey James, a Minneapolis-based artist whose mixed media painting High Wire was featured on all the promotional materials for the fair, including the brochure, poster, T-shirts and advertising. James was selected as the winner out of 700 applicants from the art show.
High Wire features an old photo of a man walking on a tightrope at the circus, juxtaposed with dots, numbers, zebras and bright colors. These elements are a common thread throughout James’ work. “I like the balance and juxtaposition between things that relate or don’t relate, but work with each other,” she says. James also often works in 3-D, creating pieces that feel like an oversize shadow box. “The images float between two pieces of plexiglass,” James says. “Then they are painted from the back, which gives it an ethereal, 3-D quality.”
Besides showing at the Edina Art Fair, James also runs a studio art printing business for advertising and design with her artist partner, Steve Stratman, and is gearing up for a fall/winter show that will be held in Chicago.
