Born in Toronto, Ontario, James A. Long's journey as an artist began when he was old enough to hold a pencil. His eye for detail had soon caught the eyes of his grade-school teachers, and by his high school years, Jim was well on his way to defining his photo-realistic style which has made him famous today. James is a completely self-taught artist who found inspiration in an unlimited number of topics - from landscapes to industrial images to the human form. After graduating from Architectural technology in 1992, James moved to Eastern Canada to work in this profession. It wasn't long before he found this limiting artistically and decided to leave this career and begin a new one as a Fine Artist. His instincts brought him right back to the source of great passion in his life - hockey! Working almost exclusively with acrylics, James has painted many famous athletes such as Felix Potvin, Martin Brodeur, Mats Sundin, Borje Salming and even the Hanson Brothers of "Slapshot" fame. Jim has also turned his hand to custom goalie mask painting, something he finds very rewarding and has done for clients as far away as Los Angelas, California. It is James" photo-realistic style that is his trademark, and has earned him his little niche in the art world. He is comfortably seated amongst some of the best sports artists in the world. From comic strip art to architectural renderings, it is these experiences that have made Jim the artist he is. he is very passionate about his artwork, and the viewer can sense this immediately when looking at any of his pieces. "I try to bring the emotion and energy I feel or sense in a subject into my images. I decide what intrigues me most about a subject, and then begin the task of relaying this theme to the viewer. I am a perfectionist. I cannot put a painting aside as done unless U know I can look at that image in life and feel it displays my best work." James' artwork is part of public and private collections worldwide, and each of his pieces is eagerly awaited. He has refined himself an artistic style at such a young age, that he has decades to build on his own work and become one of Canada's best.