James was born in New Jersey on January 27, 1945. At the age of 18, he joined the United States Navy Seabees. He served four years with Seabees, including two tours in Vietnam. He was discharged in California, where he still lives.

Upon his discharge, he went to college using the GI bill. He got his AA degree from Ventura Junior College and his BS degree from Cal Lutheran in Thousand Oaks, CA, in Computer Information Systems. He worked for Ventura County as a computer programmer for thirty years. He retired in 2003.

His hobby was always woodworking, building a wide variety of furniture over the years. In March of 2020, when the pandemic started, his brother-in-law introduced him to the art of Intarsia. He's been making pieces ever since.

James has been married to his wife Peggy for 37 years; they have five children, two grandchildren, and one great-great-grandchild. They reside in the Santa Maria area.

Intarsia Art is (1 mosaic of wood fitted and glued onto a wooden support, popular in 15th-century Italy for decoration; 2) the art or process of making such work.

I cut all the pieces out on a scroll saw. I then machine-sanded all the pieces with 120-grit sandpaper. Then I hand-sand all the pieces with 180, 225, and 600 grit sandpaper. I then apply the stain or paint needed for each piece. Then I glue all the pieces together on a backer board. I then apply a minimum of ten coats of high gloss lacquer for a hard finish. All my pieces come with ten to fifteen pictures showing the process of creating them. All my pieces are numbered, signed, and dated. The types of wood I use are Poplar, Redwood, and Walnut.