Interview
James C Mulligan
James is an artist known for a career-long relationship with the Walt Disney Company. His work is represented in galleries internationally, and collected by everyone, from the late Hugh Hefner — where his work was recently featured in Mr. Hefner’s lifetime estate auction — to Johnny Depp, Dick Van Dyke and Richard Sherman.
James’ career spans over three decades, and his projects include Animazement, Light Magic, Haunted Mansion Holiday, and working with newly revitalized classics from Walt Disney Feature Animation.
His design, fine art and gallery work includes Playboy, Coca-Cola, the Magic Castle in Hollywood, Fox, Dreamworks, Warner Brothers, the Chuck Jones Family, Marvel, DC, Lexus, and the Elvis Presley Estate. His corporate, comic convention and artist appearances have taken him to the ends of the earth, with destinations such as Dubai, London, Kuwait, Berlin and Singapore, and every spot in between.
Also a popular social media influencer, James’ behind the scenes and slice-of-life stories have proven to be a phenomenon, with nearly 200,000 pairs of eyes participating in his adventures daily, across multiple platforms. When not gallivanting across the globe to ride camels or rappel down waterfalls, James can be found having ice cream on his local pier with his kids, stopping to pet strangers’ dogs, or practicing the ukulele.
You have come to be known as a top artist in the NFT space, but you are known internationally as a Disney artist, as well as for your work done with Marvel, the Ninja Turtles, and your celebrity art…. How has working in the so-called “crypto” space, changed how you work?
“Well. That’s a good question. I started out at Disney so long ago, that I know it’s in my blood , my DNA, but I certainly would consider myself more of a traditional fine artist. I just happen to work with a lot of commercial properties. As far as the NFT space, that is something I’m really excited about. I think we are at the very beginning of this thing, and it has certainly forced me to do a bit of my homework and polish up on my skills. There’s a lot of brilliant artists, and I feel I still have so much to learn.”
So is your background mostly as a Disney artist?
“My background really is Theatre. I started out in scenic design, painting sets, all of that. I think that’s why I love great storytelling so much. Disney was sort of a natural progression from that theatricality. I started at Disney in ‘96, so it certainly is a foundation and sort of the bedrock of what I do, but in reality, I mostly learned from observing the work of old masters, and early 20th century illustrators. Leyendecker is my favorite!”
You seem to have a fan base in a lot of places around the world. Is it because of your “pop” leanings, and that world of Disney you’ve inhabited for so long?
“I am always thrilled to meet fans in different places of the world. I’ve got partner galleries in Hawaii. At the Venetian in Vegas. I have worked with publishers globally, and right now I’ve got a publisher in Canada, and also working with a friend in London. So, yes because of my background with Disney, and some of these other characters I have done a very small part and bringing some life to, I sort of have a “family” of fans all over, and every time I have a Comic-Con scheduled in that region, I look forward to seeing all those faces. And I hope to bring them something new and fresh every time.”
You still work traditionally, when so much of the art world has shifted over to strictly digital. What is it about working traditionally that you find works better for you, and do you see yourself ever moving to completely digital?
“As my girlfriend will tell you, I’ve always got paint on my hands or my clothes somewhere. So I suppose that’s the downside. But I think that there is something really almost spiritual about working with traditional paint and ink. I work in oil and acrylic and gouache and watercolor, and whatever I can get my hands on to be honest.
I do work digitally though. But hopefully in a way that honors my traditional routes. I always want to stay grounded in that connection with the viewer, so I don’t think my work will ever be too slick or clean, because I am very much still doing everything by hand these days, even if it is just using digital tools.”
“There’s just nothing like painting. At the end of the day, I’ve got a little bit of my DNA in a physical piece that will be left on this earth, hopefully long after I’m gone.”
If someone looks you up, you clearly are a pioneer in the NFT space, and have sold a staggering amount, from a financial standpoint, as far as the world can see. Has that affected how you approach your art?
“Not in the least. I didn’t go the traditional route of art school, and I never was really able to depend on anything but my own work ethic, figuring it out by the seat of my pants, I guess. So I still have the mentality of the starving artist, and I’m always working. At the time of this writing, I am the Art Director on a project that is about to launch, that is much larger than any of us expected. It’s daunting, but just SO fulfilling. My passion really is in creating a story and art that people love, that’s giving the fans something to treasure for a long time to come.
I’m an early crypto investor and I’ve always known that the traditional way of handling currency, where the government just prints off trillions out of thin air, would simply devalue our currency, and I see Crypto as the People’s money. I don’t think that’s going to stop anytime soon. Because I’m an investor from early on, this has never been about the money for me. The NFT space is just going to continue to grow, and create new fans and collectors for a very very long time to come.” (Note: At the time of this publishing, James’ NASA project has launched, and done over $4.6 million in sales in just a few days.)
What inspires you?
“I’m inspired by the great illustrators of the early 20th century, as well as Bouguereau, Sargent and Hopper. I’m a massive art fan myself. I’m an art collector, so I really consider myself lucky to have a couple of Leyendecker’s hanging on my walls. It’s something I never thought I could say. I’ve got a few Gibson girls. I’d say my favorite sort of contemporary artist at the moment is Tom Lovell, who was really active in the 50s with pulp illustration.”
What themes do you pursue? Is there an underlying message in your work?
“Romance and humor. I definitely look at life through rose colored glasses. Whether that’s by accident or design, I’m sort of the eternal optimist.”
“I’d like to think that my work is warm. With every character I draw, I find something I can fall in love with. Even Captain Hook has a wicked charm about him. That’s part of being that Disney kid again, I suppose. Even the darkest characters have to be lovable.”
What is your creative process like?
“I work in oils, acrylics, graphite and charcoal. Those are my go-to mediums. Oil painting is my favorite, but I like to draw with the paint. I typically work on canvas or paper.”
What is an artist’s role in society and how do you see that evolving?
“I’ve heard people say that an artist’s job is to tell the truth. I disagree. I think an artist’s job is to lie to us in a way that we want to be lied to. We want to believe that Mary Poppins can fly. We want to believe that Monet’s lily pads really had that movement and color. I hope I lie to the world beautifully with my art.”
Have you had any noteworthy exhibitions you'd like to share?
“I held a record-breaking solo art show at the Bellagio in Las Vegas. I also really love exhibiting in Singapore and the Middle East. Disney Paris carries my work. Sometimes I’m surprised when I get to see my work, as it’s totally unexpected.
Keep an eye out on my schedule on my socials, because the likelihood is pretty high I will be appearing at a Comic-Con near you. You can always bring me hugs and iced coffee! And if you’ve got a dog, please, please bring the dog.”
