A City Dreamed, A Home Discovered | Paris Art Inspiration Meets Kitchener-Waterloo Artist James Huctwith

Paris is known as the ‘City of Love.’ Opulent, imperious, and mythical, Paris draws close to 50 million tourists each year, and last year, James Huctwith was one of them.
The center of classic fine art for almost two hundred years, and the birthplace of modern art, Paris is a city of light for artists, where the world’s most famous galleries can be found. James dreamt about going as a young man, studied its art in University, and notes its influence throughout his adult work.

Paris Inspiration and Fine Art Influence on James Huctwith

The oil paintings James has created from his own photos and sketches of Paris are nothing short of magnificent. His painting, titled ‘Maintenance Workers, Eiffel Tower’, currently on display at the O’Connor Gallery in Gananoque, depicts a unique perspective of the tower, both utilitarian and iconic. James currently resides in Kitchener, where he paints almost daily in his studio at 44 Gaukel.

Art Education and Academic Influence

James spoke with both passion and a sense of wonder as he described his opinions of the city he found. Professors Suzy Lake and Walter Bachinsky of the University of Guelph were pivotal in shaping his appreciation for art theory and architecture during his studies. Their influence may help explain why he was drawn to Paris with the expectation of encountering a true metropolis of imagination. “An imaginative homecoming.”

Finding Home Through Light, Place, and Perspective

“Yet once I arrived,” James recants, “The city was more old and new, complex and intense, than I had the means to easily grasp. I was more aware I was an outsider, as it became more insistently real.” But looking at the late afternoon light on a garden from his hotel window, Paris gave him a gift. “For the first time, I saw that the light where I live in Kitchener falls the same way there, as it does here. Beautifully.”
It helped him realize the power of art, love, and the imagination did not necessarily reside in a city, however famous: it dwells everywhere.

Southern Ontario Identity and Community Values

From a distance, he had built up imaginative hopes in his mind about everything Paris would be. Although it was all those things, he was able to recognize, while he was there, that he could feel comfort and appreciation in his current hometown. Don’t get me wrong, James paints Paris with a lucid brush; he describes every walkway as it meanders towards a spectacular monument, and he describes every building with architectural grandeur. But he also is more at peace with our different beauty here in Southern Ontario and Waterloo Region since that visit. He sees our hometown as comparatively new, but one built on more unpretentious ethical practices, pragmatic hard work, and quiet community fundamentals. He notices our clean parks, strong social supports, and a community of people genuinely attempting to help our marginalized members. “A place that does good things quietly, and well.”

Returning to Paris While Remaining Rooted in Kitchener-Waterloo

James plans to return to Paris this year, drawn back by the promise of new reference photos and the chance to wander deeper into its layered history, revealed through thousands of paintings lining miles of gallery walls. Yet it is here, in Kitchener-Waterloo, where his gaze ultimately comes to rest. For those not boarding a plane this season, I offer you an invitation; Look again at the Region we have shaped, to notice its art, its culture, and the ‘Love’ our surroundings have curated.
www.jameshuctwith.com