James Kelly, born in 1945, was tutored by Abraham Nussbaumat from the age of 10. James later studied at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena and the Academy of Art in San Francisco. He returned to both schools to teach. Most notably, Kelly was Art Director for Atari from 1977 through 1983, where he was in charge of marketing design, packaging and the illustration department. During this time, he produced the painting for the Raiders of the Lost Ark video game cartridge, packaging, manual and advertising among many others.
As a commercial illustrator for twenty years, James’ work has been seen in countless movie posters, book covers and national ad campaigns. At age thirty-five he began his fine art career as a portrait and figurative artist. His subjects include celebrities, sports heroes, corporate leaders, and every day people. His figurative works have earned him the reputation as one of the finest artistic interpreters of the female figure.
Batman #423: CGC 9.2, Third Printing (Classic McFarlane Cover)
