James Peterson is a contemporary portrait artist, life-long athlete, and movie and music lover originally from Milwaukee, WI. He draws inspiration from his passions to create close-up, large-scale portraits of entertainers, athletes, and cultural icons.

His large-scale canvases are a mass of flowing brush strokes, dots, swirls, and wet-on-wet mixing. They can be appreciated for their thick, raised textures and intermingling of vibrant colors.

After a 20-year hiatus, James reignited his Brushes With Fame Project and began painting again in 2020.

James is also the United States Sports Academy 2022 Artist of the Year. His painting of NBA Hall of Famer Alex English is part of their permanent collection.

Additionally, James is also extremely proud to be part of the collection of the Universal Hip-Hop Museum, both their metaverse exhibit (2022) and permanent physical collection in New York in 2025.