Artist Bio
James McManus has lived in Sylva, North Carolina, since 1975. He graduated from Western Carolina University in 1978 with a BFA in painting and printmaking. For forty years, McManus worked as a general contractor in Cashiers, Glenville, and Sylva, painting during the winter months when work slowed.
In the past year, after finishing his final home, he was able to set up a studio and return to painting full time—a lifelong passion. His wife, Judy, is a glassblower, and their sons both graduated from the Savannah College of Art and Design, making art a central part of their family. Retirement has provided McManus with the freedom to explore his practice and spend time across the valley with five of their seven grandchildren.
McManus works primarily in acrylic and pencil. Most of his pieces begin as landscapes, but he allows the process to guide him, focusing on what works as a painting rather than strict representation. Working quickly helps him build texture, while layering colors in acrylic allows him to adjust and revise without losing clarity. He continues to explore new subjects and hopes to keep learning as he moves forward.
