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Reclining Nude Oil and briwax on plaster panel 18" x18"	Reclining Nude (Sits Up and Takes Notice) Oil and briwax on plaster panel 18" x 18"
KY Four Plank 1 Oil and briwax on plaster panel 11" x11"	KY Four Plank 2 Oil and briwax on plaster panel 11" x 11"

Her Line of Sight Oil and briwax on plaster panel • 9" x 8"

Standing Figure Oil and briwax on plaster panel • 12" x 12"

James Shambhu is an artist living and working in Lexington, Kentucky. He received his Bachelor of Arts in 1992 and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1993, both from the University of Kentucky. He has had solo exhibitions at several galleries in Lexington including New Editions Gallery, Ivos Gallery, and Gallerie Soleil. Mr. Shambhu was also voted one of the best new local artists by Ace Weekly in 2006.

Artist's Statement

I see the figure everywhere. it is my starting point,
my home base. I find great comfort in its line and
form, yet also find it to be continuously challenging.
while it is easy to do, it is difficult to do well.

to those who ask, “Why do figurative work? Hasn’t
it all been done?” The human figure has been
explored in countless ways, by artists throughout
the world and across the millennia. While it is often
the first thing drawn by children, the human form
has nevertheless been the devotion of many of
the masters. Yet for all the myriad times the form
has been put to paper, cast in bronze, or chiseled
from granite, it still retains the power to create
connections—for the artist and viewer alike, and
for individuals as well as societies. There is depth
here. There is emotion. There is detail to explore,
grace and dignity to uncover.

When it comes to the human body, we’ll always want
to look. We need to see the nude form in art so as
not to lose a connection to ourselves, to humanity.
Even as we enter an increasingly digital age, the
organic nature of the figurative form can act as a
foil against the harsh edges of technology.

Figurative drawing requires a loose sort of
precision. Because we are so used to seeing the
human form—in human form, as it were—even the
most casual observer can’t help but notice when it’s
done poorly. There is a craft to getting proportions
right, and it is a never-ending part of the process.

Much of my current work explores ways that a
single line can remain recognizable as human…
as us. It can be surprising how a seemingly small,
simple line is capable of calling up the depth of the
figure to create a whole picture in the viewer’s
mind.

Figurative drawing is like a signature that takes on a
universal appeal, yet is completely unique.

James Shambhu
June 2007