Property from a Private Collector, Savannah, GA James Coleman (California/Hawaii, b.1949), Abstract Landscape with Lotus Flowers on River, O/C, signed "James Coleman John 8:12" lower right. Frame size: 27 in. height x 30 7/8 in. width. James Coleman was born in Hollywood, California on March 23, 1949. He began painting at the age of seventeen, studying on his own. After a brief time at a junior college, he joined the California Air National Guard, serving as illustrator for the base newspaper. In 1969, Coleman was hired by Walt Disney Productions as an animation background painter. It was then his formal training began, serving apprenticeship and working with artists such as Ralph Hulett, Al Dempster, Guy Deel, and watercolorist Jake Lee. In 1973, Coleman became lead painter and Supervisor of the Animation Background Department. In the years to follow he worked as Art Director, Color Stylist and Designer for Disney as well as other studios and corporations. After 22 years at Disney, he left to devote himself to his own fine art practice. (Askart.com/Lee Yougman Galleries)