James Surls--

James Surls became well known in the late 70s for his raw, abstract sculptures and drawings. Surls chops, hacks, and burns wood to represent the duality of life--masculine/feminine, rounded/pointed, light/dark, etc.  His drawings are also inspired by daily life.  Surls documents his family history through the drawings.  At first glance, the drawing technique is reminiscent of a child's, simple lines with sharp angles and lots of action.  However, with a closer look the layers and depth that Surls brings into each drawing become apparent.  Using symbols or icons, like a cow for fertility or birds for spirits, Surls creates complex works that require careful study.

Surls attributes his interest in drawing and sculpture to his father, a superintendent for a contracting firm.  His father would bring home blueprints and encouraged Surls and his three brothers to become skilled with builder's tools.  When Surls attended Sam Houston State in Huntsville he took his first art class.  He graduated in 1966 with a B.S. and went on to Cranbrook Academy of Art in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, where he completed his M.F.A. in 1969.  Surls taught at Methodist University in Dallas until 1975 when he was invited to teach at the University of Houston. 

Surls brought with him to Houston an interest in art exploration.  He founded the Lawndale Annex and organized Fire!, a massive exhibition to benefit the flood-damaged CAM.  Fire! established Surls in the art community and Lawndale became an edgy, alternative space for students and Surls to experiment and produce exciting new art.  In 1982, Surls resigned from the University of Houston and moved to Splendora where he built his dream studio, a 10,000 square foot building equipped for producing large sculptures, a clean studio for drawing, and ample display space for finished pieces. 

Surls' work has been exhibited in many of the United States' finest galleries and museums, including the St. Louis Art Museum, Missouri; the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York City; the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.; and the Menil Collection, Houston.  His work has been displayed in solo and group exhibitions globally in France, the Netherlands, Australia, Norway, and Monaco.

Surls' art is owned by over 25 public collections, including Centro Cultural Arte Contemporaneo, Mexico City, Mexico; the Solomon R. Guggenheim, New York, NY; Museo de Arte Contemporaneo de Caraces, Venezuela; the Museum of Modern Art, New York City, NY; the Nelson-Atkins Museum, Kansas City, MO; and the Stedelijk Museum, Amesterdam.

Surls currently lives with his family in Snowmass Valley, Colorado.  He continues to create new drawings and sculptures.  He is represented by Barbara Davis Gallery in Houston.