For Ep41, I caught up with Australian born, LA-based painter, James Peter Henry.

James’ work is heavily influenced by Cubism, African Art and Australian Aboriginal Art. His massive murals and impressively scaled canvases showcase a boldly fluid style, heavy with patterns and symbols that morph into human forms.

Raised on a farm in Victoria Australia, James and his siblings explored the caves near his family’s property, discovering Aboriginal cave paintings that were thousands of years old; these paintings became a source of inspiration for James, a blueprint of sorts for what art could be. James learned to paint from his mother, a cubist painter, whose work was multidimensional, engaging and inspiring to the young painter.

As a student James was encouraged by high school art teachers to pursue art of all mediums, even when he presented them with a six foot tall collage that could barely be carried into the building. At the age of eighteen James took his first job at an Aboriginal art gallery in Alice Springs Australia, where he was able to further study African art, Egyptian art, and other primitive styles.