Interview with James Cole

One of my earliest drawing inspirations was my Grandmother Augusta. Anytime she talked on the phone she would doodle some of the most lovely and intricate patterns. I was always amazed, sadly when she knew I was watching she would make them more childlike which I found far less exciting.

The earliest art piece that I still have is my childhood teddy bear. It always bugged me that deep inside of his ears was not the same color as his body fur. So I mixed up a perfect color match to his fur and painted the center of his ears in. To this day I still have that bear and his ears are still a perfect color match.

I try to find inspiration in the small details. A rusty doorknob, an old sign peaking through a paper billboard or mural painted in an alley whose most frequent admirers are the sanction workers.

Besides creating, world travel is my next passion. When traveling I can not resist going into old churches, making friends with locals over a pint, and eating in places that my new friends suggest. However one of my favorite places on the planet is just a few miles away from my hometown, the rock flats by the rapids just downstream of Niagara Falls on the US side.

As a child I enjoyed games, which doesn’t at that age, however, it was an artist that truly drove me to games. In 1993 a friend brought over his D&D (red box) Basic boxed set. The second I saw Larry Elmore’s art I knew I was hooked and what I wanted to do with my life. At my first Gen Con I attended as an artist I received an Artist’s Choice Award and landed several Freelance jobs… Read More