May 2008
Synthia Saint James
Los Angeles, CA
kikusaintjames@aol.com
www.synthiasaintjames.com/gallery.html
ARTIST STATEMENT
Since 1990, Synthia Saint James has completed over 50 commissions for major organizations, corporations and individual collectors, including The House of Seagram, Brigitte Matteuzzi's School of Modern Jazz Ballet (Geneva, Switzerland), the Mark Taper Forum, The Los Angeles Women's Foundation, Kayser-Roth/Maybelline, Essence Magazine's 25th Anniversary, The American Library Association, UNICEF, Dance Africa, The Girl Scouts of the USA's 85th Anniversary, Attorney Johnnie L. Cochran, Jr., and The United States Postal Service, who commissioned her to create the first Kwanzaa Stamp, made available on October 22, 1997 with the first issue day ceremony at the Natural History Museum in Los Angeles. The Kwanzaa Stamp has been reissued as a 37 cents stamp. She has also completed commissions for Coca Cola for "The Lady of Soul Awards", for the American Dance Legacy Institute in honor of Donald Mc Kayle's Ballet "Rainbow 'Round My Shoulder", the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles, in honor of the late Congressman Julian Dixon, Children's Institute International, Crystal Stairs, Maryland's Human Resource Department, the International Association of Black Professional Fire Fighters, in tribute to the 12 Black Fire lost in the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, and for many other non-profit organizations.
She has 13 Children's picture books currently on the market, three of which she wrote, "The Gifts of Kwanzaa" and "Sunday" (A Parents Choice Silver Honor Book) published by Albert Whitman (&) Company and "It's Kwanzaa Time" (a lift the flap book) published by Simon & Schuster. She received a 1997 Coretta Scott King Honor for her illustrations in "Neeny Coming, Neeny Going" published by Bridgewater Book and 4 activity books co-authored with Bunny Hull, published by Dream A World. She also has 2 books of poetry and prose, "Girlfriends" published by Peter Pauper Press and "Can I Touch You: Love Poems and Affirmations" an audio book, and a multi-cultural cookbook "Creative Fixings from the Kitchen" published by Persnickety Press. SAINT JAMES architectural designs include a 2'8"x150 foot tile mural for Ontario International Airport, 6 elevator doors for the East End Complex in Sacramento, CA, 3 stained glass windows for the West Tampa Library, Tampa, FL, and a 4x7 foot tile mural for Cowan Elementary School. She also created a original 3x6 foot painting for Glendale Memorial Hospital in Glendale, CA.
