James Surls (born April 19, 1943) is an American modernist artist. He earned a BS from Sam Houston State University and an MFA from the Cranbrook Academy of Art. In 1998, he moved from Splendora, Texas to Carbondale, Colorado.[1]
He is known for his largely monotone sculptures, drawings and prints that feature natural and human images and forms. Surls’ work is particularly organic and primal. Surls is a collectible artist and is respected in modern art circles. Having built a career in the 1980s and 1990s as a Texas artist, Surls relocated to a Colorado ranch and removed his work from for-profit galleries. His work is now represented exclusively by his own studio.
In 2009, five Surls bronze-and-steel bouquets were set up on Park Avenue by the New York City Parks Public Art Program and the fund for Park Avenue.[2]
In June, 2013, the Carbondale Board approved making available space for a museum dedicated to Surls’ work in the library on 4th Street after it moves to its new location.