Artist Jean James, Japantown Exhibit & Signing
This Friday, renowned visual artist James Jean will hold a talk and book signing at Kinokuniya Bookstore in San Francisco’s Japantown. Jean, a Taiwanese American painter and sketch artist known for depicting an elegant absurdity in both commercial and fine art, will introduce his latest release PAREIDOLIA, a retrospective of both new and old works. There will be a limited number of tickets available beginning at 10:30am at Kinokuniya on October 30 for an autograph signing that will follow Jean’s 6pm talk and Q&A session. Those interested must first purchase a copy of the book to enter the signing.
“Maze II” by James Jean
Ever seen a face emerge from the marble pattern of your shower walls? PAREIDOLIA is cleverly named, as it refers to the psychological phenomena of the brain to perceive visual patterns where they don’t actually exist. Jean made his debut with illustrations that famously grazed the covers of DC Comics and with advertising work done for clients such as Rolling Stone and Playboy. In 2007 he reached commercial success with the creation of mural and backdrop designs for Prada that were later developed into wallpaper, clothing and accessories.
Excerpt work from “Pareidolia” by artist James Jean, seen via Lastgasp.com
Much of Jean’s work borders on the surreal and oftentimes psychedelic, as an illustration of a swan with hawk feathers will springs from roses as part of a skeleton’s hat and dragons twist into ribbons while frog tongues reach out to lick dripping eyeballs.
However, his oil and acrylic portraits can be just as striking with an impressionist air that blends modern elements and traditional subjects. PAREIDOLIA is a long-awaited collection that runs the gamut of art produced by Jean since he began his career and will include some work that previously was only available for consideration in formatted album covers and other specialized commercial art. 
The book includes bilingual introductions by contemporary mixed media artist Takashi Murakami and producer and film director Guillermo del Toro, as well as a supplementary poster of Jean’s work. For more information about the event visit the Facebook invite here.
