James Barsness is drawn to the world of fantastic imagery. His paintings explore the possibilities of multiple simultaneous narratives that can be quite complex. His intricate compositions are influenced by Breughel, Bosch, R.J. Crumb, Tibetan sacred painting and the artistic tradition of Thailand, India and Ireland. Barsness possesses a mastery of draftsmanship that enables him to achieve a marvelous co-existence of imagery within the frame of his highly controlled paintings.