James Baxter creates abstract paintings and carved ceramics that evoke fleeting moments of extraordinary beauty in the natural world. Their work features natural colors, subtle movement, and compositions that invite long looks and quiet contemplation. James grew up in Scottsdale, AZ, and graduated from ASU with a BFA in Fine Arts in 2012. Over the intervening decade, James has worked in design, marketing, and illustration, and now as a full time artist. They currently reside in Ajo, AZ, a small town in the heart of the sundrenched Sonoran desert. They manage the local pottery studio, hike in the beautiful desert that surrounds us, and participate in the Quail House Collective — a communal housing project. ARTIST STATEMENTMy work is an imperfect attempt to get at the texture and joy of certain moments: A cool breeze. Gravel crunching underfoot. Water dripping down rocks into a pool below. The way the sky lightens incrementally as sunrise approaches. I use mediums such as watercolor, gouache, acrylic paint, thread, fabric, charcoal, and clay to do so. In my art and research, I strive to translate moments of natural beauty into tangible and visible objects. I take a deep breath when I sit down to paint. Then I take another. I put brush to paper, and remember the color of the clouds before a storm—soft twilight blues and grays and purples. The process itself is one of meditation and deliberation, echoing the grounded presence needed to truly experience the beauty of nature. Nature can’t be captured, but we can strive to be as present as possible while experiencing it. I can be present and relay it back to you as I remember it. Take a deep breath. List the things that make life worth living. A ripe tomato, plucked from the plant, still warm from the sun. A beautiful sky in the midst of transition from sunset to twilight. Even when things are the most difficult, there is still the simple animal joy of breathing in and out, walking on the soft earth, and gazing up at the sky in wonder.