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San Diego artist James Watts breathes magic into whimsical sculptures, bringing folktales to life
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James Watts with mini kokeshi sculpture at his studio. Photo by Liane Shih
Meeting James Watts at his San Diego home studio, he greeted me with a big bear hug and a warm smile. Excited to meet the artist who created the life-size kokeshi sculptures now on view
at the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles' Little Tokyo, I was struck
by his kind, gentle nature and welcoming demeanor.
Disappointed by how little information was available about him on the internet, I was determined to find out more about the artist who captured my attention with his amazing kokeshi sculptures made of wood and covered with copper and found decorative tins. Each kokeshi is a portrait of a person in his life, including the sculpture titled "Boy" that flanks the right side of the exhibit entrance, which is his self-portrait. The tins covering each kokeshi describes the story of their lives. The five on display in the contemporary section of the Kokeshi exhibit at the JANM represent Mr. Watts and his family. Even the security guard was so touched by Mr. Watts' artwork, you could tell by the way he so whole-heartedly related the themes behind the kokeshi sculptures with much admiration. The guard told me that the kokeshi with the smaller kokeshi inside it represented Mr. Watts' daughter and her husband. The guard went on to explain how Mr. Watts wanted to show how much a part of his family his son-in-law has become, and that he loves him like his own son. Mr. Watts, who currently works a 9-5 job in building maintenance, manages to find time to create, and is currently working on life-size sculptures of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza. Don Quixote is made from a tree trunk, with a carved alabaster head. 
What is most amazing about James Watts is his raw talent and creative imagination, and the fact that he never went to art school and is totally self-taught. His home studio is his garage, and it is where all the neighborhood is familiar with him, as he is usually working on his creations when he is home. Every few minutes passersby would greet him hello or stop by to chat with him. He seems much beloved on his block. He says a lot of times people just leave wood for him to use or scrap tins because they know he loves to use metal. To thank his community, he even had an informal unveiling at his home to reveal his finished kokeshi family, which took him a year to do, offering wine and cheese and displaying the set that would be displayed at the JANM.
A native of San Diego, Mr. Watts has exhibited all around the San Diego area, and has even taught kids of all ages, including troubled juveniles, the joy of creating art. He also used to run an art co-op for eight years, and would create a new piece of artwork each month to be shown along with other artists who lived in his art complex. Always studying art and learning about other artists, he has worked with wood, plaster, clay, leather, even hand-sewing huge life-size dolls made of canvas. (He said he took a bunch of Home-Ec classes growing up). He loves poetry, and showed me a series of what he called "visual haikus" which were small works of wood on which were various tin icons were nailed, each image evoking the next. Much of his artwork centers on folktales, and he says that much of the time, he puts himself into the work, such that the sculptures become a reflection of him as Don Quixote, for example, or him as Pancho Villa. He showed me a life-size doll made of wood and plaster, which was the first doll he ever made, which was also a self-portrait. He also showed me a large mobile he had made based on Alexander Calder's mobiles, which consisted of a giant sphere representing the globe and hanging from it were dolls made of driftwood. One of his favorite artists is Marisol, who is also one of my favorites. There is such a great sense of playfulness and child-like joy in creating which is infused in his pieces, that you can't help but smile when you look at his work. He says he has always known he was special, in that he had a great imagination, and it was always easy for him to be creative and come up with ideas rather quickly.
He says he only creates work that he is able to pick up and carry himself. He saw my look of disbelief as i pointed to the Don Quixote sculpture and asked, "Can you really pick him up?" He laughed and told me that he constructed it so that it was easy to take apart. Same for the kokeshi sculptures, in which you can remove the heads from the bodies. You can tell much of his work comes from his heart. In fact, he says that when he's in love he makes a lot of art. A little wooden plaque hangs on his fence that says, "The only danger of falling in love is falling in love." What a wonderful little statement from an artist with such a large capacity to create from his heart.
James Watts' kokeshi sculptures are currently on display at the Japanese American National Museum until October 4, 2009. Called Kokeshi: From Folk Art to Art Toy, it is presented in collaboration with the Los Angeles Toy, Doll and Amusements Museum (LATDA).
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