“In a violent and often irrational world perhaps my paintings can bring a moment of pleasure – of values that can be understood by many people and even rub off on a few aspiring artists. What more can I ask for or expect to attain in my own lifetime? After that, my fate and reputation will be in the hands of curators, collectors, dealers, critics and historians or, perhaps, junk dealers. This is out of my hands and I cannot dwell on it. So let my belief in hard work, older people, and virtues that are perhaps vanishing forever be my message for those who care to stop a while and look.”
— James Bama
*
I’m a little late in marking the passing of one of the true giants of Western Frontier Art. James Bama died in Wyoming last month at the age of 95.
Back in those formative years when I was first reading The Frontiersmen, and Mountain Man, The Big Sky and Give Your Heart To The Hawks, I owned a copy of The Western Art of James Bama. I surely did stop a while and look.
The realist paintings of Mountain Men, cowboys, Indians became part of the landscape of the imagination that I was constructing then, and which I have never left. I like to think I absorbed some of those vanishing virtues that Bama sought to capture, and in gratitude and appreciation, I tip my hat to a master gone up the long trail.
Matthew says
I know Bama mostly from his covers of Doc Savage novels, but I think his real forte is Western Art. It’s a shame that he (and Neal Adams) died recently.
We used to have a great museum of Western Art here in Colorado, but the owner died and his heirs sold of the collection. Another tragedy.
deuce says
Bama started in the pulps, made the move to Men’s Adventure, went on to paint classic Doc Savage covers (where I discovered him) and created a whole new career in Western art. From Doc Savage to Doc Holliday (more or less).
John Myers Myers followed a similar (literary) trajectory.
Matthew says
Pretty short article on Myths of WWI here on Sofrep
https://sofrep.com/news/some-myths-of-wwi-debunked/
lane batot says
WOW! Just EXCELLENT paintings!
Patti Jo Beal says
I did not know he passed, I have appreciated his work for years. Another legend lost.
Bob Deis says
Before James Bama became famous for his great Western artwork and even before he did his popular Doc Savage paperback covers, he created cool cover and interior illustrations for men’s adventure magazines published in the 1950s and 1960s. I had the honor and pleasure of interviewing Jim about his MAM artwork a while back for a series of posts on my MensPulpMags.com blog. For those who may be interested, here’s a link to the interview-> https://www.menspulpmags.com/an-interview-with-artist-james-bama-part-1/
JimC says
Fantastic. Thank you for sharing this.