James Williams' work revolves around attempting to translate multiple generations of shared memories through genealogy and oral tradition. Taking stories of relatives and combining them with his own personal experiences, James creates an autobiography that is both true and impossible at the same time. This body of work focuses on the strength of memory and shared experiences through blood lines and story telling; the ability for the narrator/artist to influence the listener/viewer. The quiet dark settings are a glimpse into James faux autobiography, a view of the cold northern settings that he finds solace in. Using a monochromatic pallet to create soft focus images and then sealing them in wax or plastic, James creates the illusion of a memory visualized or an interpretation of a story in ones mind as it's being told.

James was born in Berkeley, California and grew up bouncing around the central valley and north bay. He received his BFA in printmaking from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. He has shown work in group exhibitions throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. James lives and works in San Francisco and spends most of his time locked in his studio.