Synthia Saint James

Fine Artist, Illustrator, Author, Songwriter

Self-taught Artist/Author, Synthia SAINT JAMES was born in 1949 in Los Angeles, California. Her professional career as an artist began in 1969 in New York City where she sold her first commissioned paintings. Today she is an internationally recognized fine artist. You'll find her work on over 50 book covers (which includes books by Alice Walker, Terry Mc Millan, Iyanla Vanzant and Julia Boyd), and on many licensed products.

Since 1990, she has completed over 40 commissions for major organizations, corporations and individual collectors, including The House of Seagram, Brigitte Matteuzzi's School of Modern Jazz Ballet (Geneva, Switzerland), the Mark Taper Forum, The Los Angeles Women's Foundation, Kayser-Roth/Maybelline, Essence Magazine's 25th Anniversary, The American Library Association, UNICEF, Dance Africa, The Girl Scouts of the USA's 85th Anniversary, Attorney Johnnie L. Cochran, Jr., and The United States Postal Service, who commissioned her to create the first Kwanzaa Stamp, made available on October 22, 1997 with the first issue day ceremony at the Natural History Museum in Los Angeles. The Kwanzaa Stamp was reissued as a 33 cents stamp and in October 2001 as a 34 cents stamp. She has also completed commissions for Coca Cola for "The Lady of Soul Awards", for the American Dance Legacy Institute in honor of Donald Mc Kayle's Ballet "Rainbow 'Round My Shoulder", the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles, in honor of the late Congressman Julian Dixon, Children's Institute International, Crystal Stairs, Maryland's Human Resource Department, and many other non-profit organizations.

She has 12 Children's picture books currently on the market, two of which she wrote, "The Gifts of Kwanzaa" and "Sunday" (A Parents Choice Silver Honor Book) published by Albert Whitman (&) Company, and she received a 1997 Coretta Scott King Honor for her illustrations in "Neeny Coming, Neeny Going" published by Bridgewater Books. She also has 2 books of poetry and prose, "Girlfriends" published by Peter Pauper Press and "Can I Touch You: Love Poems and Affirmations" an audio book read by Synthia and renowned vocalist Melba Moore, published by Music Quest Entertainment, and her first cookbook "Creative Fixings from the Kitchen" published by Persnickety Press. Her first lift-the-flap book "Its Kwanzaa Time" is now available from Little Simon an imprint of Simon & Schuster, and she is currently working on her first Native American book "Enduring Wisdom".

Other projects include a tile mural design for the Ontario, California International Airport (A baggage claim area 2'8" x 150'), commissions for the Woman's Center of Glendale Memorial Hospital (Glendale, CA), 6 -9x4 foot elevator door designs for California' State Capitol's East End Project, 100 Black Men of Orange County, and "Happy Happy Kwanzaa" a Kwanzaa song she co-wrote with Grammy Award winning songwriter Bunny Hull, which won a 1999 National Association of Parenting Publications Gold Award, and two children's books that were released last year, "Hallelujah" from Atheneum Books for Young Readers, written by W. Nikola-Lisa and "To Dinner, For Dinner" from Holiday House, written by Tololwa M. Mollel, which has already won a Oppenheim Gold Award 2001.

In addition, she has quite an itinerary booked for 2001, which has included several exhibitions such as "Synthia SAINT JAMES : Recent Picture Books" at the Natural History Museum in Los Angeles, and at Baltimore's Black Heritage Art Show's as the special guest artist and keynote speaker. Other keynote speaking engagements included Bennett College in Greensboro, NC, with an exhibition at the African American Atelier, and Contra Costa College in Richmond, CA. Please visit www.authorsden.com for information on all her books, and events.