Jim Abuan Bio

Jim Abuan immigrated from the Philippines with his family to Central Valley, California, when he was eight. He was raised in Delhi, California, attending public schools. As he grew up, he and his family worked in the fields, harvesting crops for a living.

He began his college education at Merced College, Merced, CA, and transferred to Cal State Stanislaus, Turlock, CA, to acquire his BFA.

After an honorable discharge from a term of service with the military, he moved to Los Angeles, where he earned his MFA in 1976 from Otis Art Institute of Los Angeles County, now called Otis College of Art and Design. Another student at Otis at that time was Kerry James Marshall.

After a few years of “underground” art exhibits throughout Los Angeles and working in commercial art, he returned to California’s Central Valley, where he taught high school graphic arts, photography, and yearbook design until retiring in 2009.

Two years later, he resumed painting with a varied approach, but mainly with figuration to explore the non-traditional uses of the human form in flat spatial environments. His sources for subject matter came mainly from print publications. In some paintings, fashion models served as the point of departure. When needed, he employed an image transfer technique to embed found imagery into his paintings.

He stated, “It’s very hard to do, but I’m trying to eliminate what makes the painting appealing. For me, it’s more about what makes it different.” He used acrylic latex house paint with colors selected from a paint chart rather than traditional acrylic tube paint.

Since late 2023, his artworks have shifted to image transfers from printed materials using transparent acrylic medium and no paint pigment. These pieces are entirely abstracted and do not contain figuration.

EDUCATION

MFA - (1974-76) Otis Art College of Art and Design (formerly Otis Art Institute of LA County), Los Angeles, CA

BFA - (1968-71) Cal State University Stanislaus, Turlock, CA

AA - (1966 – 68) Merced College, Merced, CA

EXHIBITIONS

SOLO

Blueline Arts/Broad Gallery, Roseville, CA, February 26 to April 10, 2021

Leonard’s Art Space, Modesto, CA, 1984

Various “Underground” Art Shows, Pasadena and throughout Los Angeles, CA, 1976 -1980

GROUP

An artist collaborative, Modesto, CA, 2015 - 2018

“We Are Not Alone,” Three Artist Installation, in a rented venue, Modesto, CA, 2017

“Emergence,” The Chartreuse Muse Gallery, Modesto, CA, 2017

Featured Artist, School Street Gallery, Lodi, CA, 2016

OTIS ART INSTITUTE OF LA COUNTY

MFA Exhibit, Otis Art Institute Gallery, Los Angeles, CA, 1976

Solo Exhibit, Otis Art Institute Gallery II, Los Angeles, CA, 1975

EVENTS

“Lights, Canvas, Action” Pop-Up Group Show, 2018, Los Angeles, CA

Artist Open Studio Tour, Stanislaus County, CA, 2014, 2015, 2016

EMPLOYMENT

Teacher (Black and White Photography, Graphic Arts, Yearbook), Hughson High School, Hughson, CA, 1991 - 2009

Graphic Arts/Design, 1976 - 1991