About James
James Wilson has been an artist working in the medium of photography for more than 40 years. James works from his heritage home and natural light studio in the beautiful Kennebecasis River Valley near Hampton New Brunswick, Canada. He uses large format cameras mostly, making images of the land or to document people in great detail. James’s new work involves digital photography, merging image layers and textures to create new images that challenge your emotions.
He has had 19 solo exhibitions and participated in numerous group exhibits, both internationally and through out Canada. His panoramic landscapes, black and white portraits and large-scale still-life’s have been most popular with collectors. His photographs have been purchased for both public and corporate collections, and also are in private collections around the world.
James Wilson's art has been acquired by the National Gallery - Ottawa, Five Canadian Embassies, and the Canadian Consulate - NYC.
“James Wilson uses his photography to document both his natural environment and the social documenting of local people. Every aspect of his work is taken at the very highest level.”
EPISODE 3: Mark Hemmings interviews Photographer James Wilson on Bell TV1
Join Mark Hemmings and I on one of my early morning photo shoots at my favourite marsh. You will discover the philosophy behind my landscapes, and also learn some technical tricks to benefit your own landscape photography. We hope you enjoy this Bell TV1 episode, one of six in a series titled “The Masters of Photography” available on Bell Canada's TV1 channel.
Public Collections
Beaverbrook Art Gallery, Fredericton, NB, Canada
National Art Gallery of Canada, ON, Canada
Canadian Consulate, New York City, USA
Canadian Embassy, Algiers, Algeria
Canadian Embassy, Amsterdam, Netherlands
New Brunswick Museum, NB, Canada
New Brunswick Art Bank, NB, Canada
Town of Hampton, NB, Canada
City of Fredericton, NB, Canada
City of Saint John, NB, Canada
Saint John Public Library, NB, Canada
Corporate Collections
University of New Brunswick, Canada
Rogers Cable Vision Ltd.
Royal Bank of Canada
RBC Dominion Services
Irving Oil Ltd.
JD Irving Ltd.
Grant Thornton Ltd.
Moosehead Breweries Ltd.
Bell Aliant Corp.
Xwave Corp.
McCain Foods Limited
Kodak Canada
Ernst & Young
KMPG LLP
Base Engineering Ltd.
Deloitte Touche LLP
Jamieson/Mullin Ltd.
Beaverbrook Art Gallery Interview for Social Studies
Social Studies is the result of a long term project spanning over 25 years documenting New Brunswick people from all walks of life and vocations.
These studio portraits capture subjects from all walks of life. They document soldiers and street people, builders and bakers, artists and labourers. There is an intimate intensity in these photographs, which together form a timeless collage of life and faces from the early twenty-first century.
Publications:
Book “Social Studies”
Publisher: Goose Lane Editions
Book “Redeemed”
Publisher: Goose Lane Editions
Book “Portraits of NB Painters”
Publisher: New Brunswick Museum
Represented By:
Gallery 78
Fredericton, NB
Spicer Merrifield Gallery
Saint John, NB
Maria Watson, agent
San Francisco, USA
The History of Wilson Studios
Wilson Studio has a 136 year history of photography in southern New Brunswick, Canada and spans the work of four generations of photographers.
In 1877, Isaac Erb set up his studio in a second floor location at 13 Charlotte Street in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada. For almost half a century, Erb photographed in his studio and even more extensively on location throughout New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and parts of Maine. His only son, John Erb, joined the father’s business (subsequently called Isaac Erb and Son). John subsequently inherited the business upon Isaac’s death in 1924. Isaac used glass plate negatives to make wonderful images which have now become a national treasure. Isaac Erb was a good craftsman and through his business, he was called upon to photograph shops and shopkeepers, homes and carriages of the rich, ships and shipbuilding, streets and road construction, civic functions and landscapes. In a sense, Erb was one of the pioneers of modern industrial photography. His son, John, continued the business for the next 15 years until his death.
In 1939 an ambitious 23 year old by the name of Lewis Wilson bought the Erb business from John’s widow and changed the name to Wilson Studio. Lew Wilson continued the business in much the same manor as the Erbs, doing commercial and industrial photography, but with the inclusion of photo finishing, picture framing, and sale of vintage (Erb) photos. Lew Wilson himself was a skillful technician and photographer. He took great black and white portraits and, like Isaac, documented much of the industrial and commercial growth of New Brunswick during his 42 years as a photographer. In 1981 Lew Wilson had an unfortunate accident on the job which disabled him from continuing his work as a photographer. James Wilson, Lew’s son took over the operation and made considerable changes to downsize and modernize, insuring the company’s future into the new century. He had the ownership of the historical plates of Isaac Erb transferred to the Provincial Archives of New Brunswick where they are preserved as a national heritage photo source.
James built a new studio 30 kilometres from Saint John in beautiful Hampton, New Brunswick with photo art gallery, conventional darkrooms and digital production. His studio features design elements much like the original Erb studio on Charlotte Street with a large north light window. Much like Isaac Erb did, James uses this special window light for portraiture, product photography and still life work. Wilson Studio now is surrounded with beautiful gardens in addition to the spectacular views of the Kennebecasis River. James gives annual workshops in large format photography and retro-photographic processes from this beautiful rural studio location.