Synthia Saint James

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Synthia Saint James is an artist and designer of the first United States Postal Stamp for the Kwanzaa holiday, has to date written and or illustrated 13 children’s picture books, 3 poetry and prose books, 4 children’s activity books, a cookbook, and a postcard book.

Career

Saint James is the recipient of The 2008 Woman of the Year Award for the 26th Senate District, and she has garnered numerous other awards including a Parent’s Choice Silver Honor, a Coretta Scott King Award, and an Oppenheim Gold Award all for her books.

On January 30, 2010 she received the prestigious Trumpet Award for “The Arts” in Atlanta, Georgia. She is the first painter to be so honored. This year she was also inducted into the National Organization of Women Business Owners - Los Angeles, Hall of Fame in March.

She received her first Honorary Doctorate Degree (Doctor of Humane Letters) from Saint Augustine’s College, Raleigh, NC on May 8, 2010 the Historically Black College where her foundation, The Synthia Saint James Fine Arts Institution, is being established.

She created an award for Africare which was presented to His Excellency Nelson Mandela for Lifetime Achievement on November 5, 2010, and she created an award for Diversity Woman Magazine’s “A Mosaic Woman Award”, one of which was presented to Dr. Maya Angelou on October 28, 2010.

Her paintings grace the covers of over 70 books, including books by Pulitzer Prize winning author Alice Walker, New York Times bestselling author Iyanla Vanzant, and books by Terry McMillan, also a New York Times bestselling author whose books have been published worldwide in several different languages.

Barnes and Noble licensed her artwork “Brilliance” for merchandise, including tote bags and journals, in celebration of Black History Month 2009 to sellout audiences. So for Black History Month 2010 they released new merchandise, including tote bags, journals, and tumblers featuring her artwork “Butterflies Dream”.

Her architectural designs include a 150 foot ceramic tile mural for Ontario, California’s international airport, 6 - 9x4 foot elevator doors for a building in California’s State Capitol’s East End Complex, Sacramento, California, stained glass windows for the West Tampa Library in Tampa, Florida, and a 4x7 foot ceramic tile mural (inspired by Dr. Maya Angelou’s poem “On the Pulse of Morning”), commissioned by Gibson, Dunn, Crutcher LLP for Cowan Elementary School in Westchester, California. She was also commissioned to create the 3x6 foot painting that hangs in the Women's Center of Glendale Memorial Hospital in Glendale, California.

Saint James has completed numerous commissioned signature images for non-profit organizations including the International Association of Black Professional Fire Fighters (which hangs at the Vulcan Station in Brooklyn, New York), Children’s Institute International, the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles, the Harlem Book Fair, the United Way, and the National Education Association. She unveiled the poster that she created for the Center for Disease Control at the United Nations on World AIDS Day 2005, unveiled the original painting that she created for the Metropolitan AME Church (Harlem, NY) at the Schomburg in February 2006, and unveiled the 20th anniversary painting for the 100 Black Men of America, Inc. in June 2006..

In reviews her artwork has been described as “ebullient”, “bold”, “creates paintings that remind one of Matisse cutouts in their clear line and intense color” and “joyful”.

She was honored with the 2004 Woman of the Year Award in Education by the Los Angeles County Commission for Women and she is a proud recipient of The HistoryMakers Award. Fall of 2006 she received both the MOSTE Inspirational Women Award and the Samella Award for her artistry, and designed the "We See You Award". SAINT JAMES is also one of the women included in Dr. Cynthia Jacobs Carter’s National Geographic book, Africana Woman: Her Story Through Time.

She has created signature paintings for Children's Institute International's "Project Fatherhood", Susan G. Komen for the Cure's "Circle of Promise" campaign for which she now serves as a National Ambassador, and “Crowns” for Regina Taylor’s play Crowns.

She is a member of the cast of M.K. Asante’s latest documentary “The Black Candle” which screened worldwide, and she is also a member of the cast of “Breast Cancer Examined: An African American Perspective” which aired on the TV One Network.

One of her original paintings was donated to the permanent collection of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem, New York, by the House of Seagram, and another original painting to Spelman College by Dr. Walter Allen.

Saint James , a self-taught artist and popular speaker, credits the creator and her ancestry (which includes African American, Native American, Haitian and German Jew) for her artistic gifts.

Bibliography

Children's Books

Gershator/Saint James. Tukama Tootles the Flute, New York, NY: Orchard Books, 1994.

Chapman/Saint James. Snow on Snow on Snow, New York, NY: Dial Books for Young Readers, 1994.

Saint James, Synthia. The Gifts of Kwanzaa, Morton Grove, IL: Albert Whitman & Company, 1994.

Saint James, Synthia. Sunday, Morton Grove, IL: Albert Whitman & Company, 1996.

Myers/Saint James. How Mr. Monkey Saw the Whole World, New York, NY: Doubleday Books for Young Readers, 1996.

English/Saint James. Neeny Coming…Neeny Going, Mahwah, NJ: Bridgewater Books, 1996.

Gershator/Saint James. Greetings, Sun, New York, NY: DK INK, 1998.

Barnwell/Saint James. No Mirrors in My Nana’s House, San Diego, CA: Harcourt Brace Children’s Books, 1998.

Williams/Saint James. Girls Together, San Diego, CA: Harcourt Brace Children’s Books, 1999.

Hull/Saint James. “Happy Happy Kwanzaa”, Los Angeles, CA: BrassHeart Music, Synthia Saint James Music, 1999.

Nikola-Lisa/Saint James. Hallelujah! : A Christmas Story, New York, NY: Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2000.

Mollel/Saint James. To Dinner, For Dinner, New York, NY: Holiday House, 2000.

Hull/Saint James. Alphabet Affirmations, Los Angeles, CA: Kids Creative Classics, 2000.

Saint James, Synthia. It’s Kwanzaa Time, New York, NY: Little Simon/Simon & Schuster, 2001.

Hull/Saint James. Peace In Our Land, Los Angeles, CA: Kids Creative Classics, 2002.

Sneve/Saint James. Enduring Wisdom, New York, NY: Holiday House, 2003.

Hull/Saint James. Dream A World, Los Angeles, CA: Kids Creative Classics, 2004.

Saint James, Synthia. A story in The Milestones Project by Dr. Richard & Michele Steckel, Berkeley, CA: Tricycle Press, 2004.

Adult Books

Johnson/Saint James. Mother’s Love, White Plains, NY: Peter Pauper Press, 1996.

Saint James, Synthia. Girlfriends, White Plains, NY: Peter Pauper Press, 1997.

Saint James, Synthia. Can I Touch You: Love Poems & Affirmations, Newark, NJ: Music Quest, 1997.

Saint James, Synthia. Creative Fixings From The Kitchen: Favorite Multicultural Recipes, Port Chester, NY: Persnickety Press, 1998.

Saint James, Synthia. Forward to Who’s Who Among African Americans-13th Edition, Farmington Hills, MI: Gale Group,2000.

Saint James, Synthia. Essay in How to Make Black America Better by Tavis Smiley, New York, NY: Doubleday Books,2001.

Saint James, Synthia. Synthia Saint James: A Book of Postcards, San Francisco, CA: Pomegranate, 2004.

Saint James, Synthia. Living My Dream: An Artistic Approach to Marketing, Los Angeles, CA: Amazon.com, 2011.

Awards

2011

"Women Who Dared" Awards - California Black Women's Health Project

2010

"Trumpet Awards" - The Arts

"Hall of Fame" - NAWBO-LA

"Phenomenal Women" - California State University, Northridge

2008

"Woman of the Year" - 26th Senatorial District of California

2007

“A Tribute to Synthia SAINT JAMES” - The Home Depot Center Charitable Foundation & AEG Worldwide

2006

“MOSTE Inspirational Woman” - MOSTE Foundation

“The Samella Award” - Center for the Arts of the African Diaspora

2004

“Woman of the Year” - (Education) Los Angeles County Commission for Women

“The HistoryMakers Award”

2002

“Ebony Excellence:Women of Vision” - Mu Beta Omega Chapter AKAs

“Sisters Award” - National Alumni Association Spelman

2001

“Greensboro, NC Key to the City” - African American Atelier Gallery

“The Arts Council Award” - California Afro-American Museum

“Oppenheim Gold Award” for the book To Dinner For Dinner

2000

“Literary & Visual Arts Award” - 115 Anniversary Second Baptist Church

“Talent Award” - Los Angeles Chapter of the Links

1999

“NAPPA Gold Award”

1998

“Women of Vision Award” - Black Women Lawyers

1997

"Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award"- Neeny Coming Neeny Going

“UNICEF Greeting Card Award”

“AT&T Entrepreneur of the Year” - Black Women of Achievement & NAACP Legal Defense Fund

“Treasure of Los Angeles”

“YWCA Silver Achievement Award”

1996

“Parents Choice Silver Honor” - for the book Sunday

43rd NAACP Image Awards Nomination

"Living My Dream: An Artistic Approach to Marketing" was nominated in the Outstanding Literary Work-Instructional category.

References

1. Synthia Saint James www.SynthiaSAINTJAMES.com
2. 1st United States Postage Stamp for the Kwanzaa holiday (1997)
3. Coretta Scott King Book Award Recipients
4. M.K. Asante "The Black Candle"
5. 43rd NAACP Image Awards Honorees http://www.naacpimageawards.net/43/winners-and-honorees/literature/
6. Barnes and Noble & SAINT JAMES "Brilliance" Woven Tote Bag
7. Synthia SAINT JAMES & SkinIt.com
8. Synthia SAINT JAMES receives Trumpet Award & Doctor of Humane Letters video
9. Synthia SAINT JAMES - African American Firefighter Museum video
10. Synthia SAINT JAMES Unveils Her "Circle of Promise" Painting for Susan G. Komen Foundation video