James VanFarowe RDMS, RVT, BFA
As my credentials might indicate, creating art is only part of what I do. My day job is working for Duke Radiology as a Sonographer. But I love being able to mix it up and share my after-work creations with Duke Arts and Health in these lovely exhibition spaces.
I was a Dutch boy who grew up along the lakeshores of West Michigan. I studied photography, painting, and Fine Arts at Calvin University before spending a year in Japan with my wife and starting a family in the early 2000s. Then I attended Grand Valley State University to become an Art and Math teacher and took up Wedding Photography to support my education. As such, I have photographed at over 150 weddings and worked as a personal photographer for 2008 Presidental candidate Mike Huckabee at a private school fundraiser dinner.
My family and I moved from Michigan to North Carolina in the fall of 2008. I taught Math at Durham School of the Arts and, later, at Person High School and Duke TIP. In 2015 I changed careers to become an Ultrasound Tech and have worked happily for Duke Radiology ever since. Through it all, though, I have continued to create art... after hours. This pursuit culminated in a display of my paintings, watercolors, and drawings with Duke Arts and Health during the summer of 2021 in an Exhibition called Common Journeys.
Now, I proudly display my recent textile work at Winterfest. Tie Dying and making friendship bracelets is my current passion. My work has been influenced by my time in Japan and has been informed by the bright pure colors of the four Seasons. I hope that all will enjoy the smooth feel, the vibrancy, and the outrageous patterns of my creations. May the work remind you of the freshness, innocence, and beauty of life.