Born into a family of professional musicians, James Crompton chose a career in the visual arts. Upon completion of high school, he attended Florida Southern College. He then pursued his formal art training full-time at the prestigious Art Students League in New York City.

 

Crompton left The Art Students League to serve in the United States Army, but continued his work as an artist, producing a number of cartoons, which were published in Stars and Stripes. He continued his art education while in Europe, spending two years attending ecoles in La Rochelle, France and Madrid, Spain. Upon his return to the United States, Crompton was admitted to the Art Center School in Los Angeles, one of the most renowned and competitive centers for the study of art in America.

 

Crompton has participated in juried art exhibits and has been the recipient of numerous awards. He has taught at various art schools, guilds and conducted workshops at his own studio, The Crompton Art Academy. Professional artists and art students throughout the eastern United States have attended his seminars.

 

Highlights of his career include a series of oil paintings commissioned by the Department of Veterans’ Affairs and by the University of Florida. Over a period of several years, he participated in the Suwannee River Project with the Environmental Artists of Florida. A member of Art in Public Places, Crompton's murals can be found in many buildings in South Florida.

 

A romanticist and an individualist, his approach to painting is unique and reflective of his joy in painting a wide range of subjects. A great strength lies in the care with which Crompton organizes his paintings and his use of color. He first determines the mood and composition of the painting abstractly using strong color; proceeding to use bold paint strokes to create the basic forms. The painting is brought to conclusion through a series of glazes and finer brushwork.

 

Intrigued with the lifestyle of the turn of the last century, Crompton is attracted to the adventure and independence of the American Indians and the settlers of the American West. The beauty and serenity of the North Carolina Mountains is also a favorite subject often featured in his paintings.