James Paterson (b. 1957) has been an “Imagineer” for as long as he can remember. Visions from the culturally diverse and visually textured Kensington Market neighborhood of Toronto in which he grew up have surfaced in the unique wire sculptures he is creating today. These ambiguous machine-like objects made of twisted bits of wire invite the viewer into a relationship through their moving parts, expressing ideas that are redemptive while attempting to give expression to mystery. “I like to approach my art with a simple sense of wonder. I live in a world of many moving parts. A squatter in the machine, I live and move and have my being in the midst of it all, strands of wire tracing my world, the cartography of my mind” says Paterson. Splashes of color add to the joy and delight of these whimsical wire structures employing a technique Paterson has developed himself.

His pieces appeal to collectors the world over and have been commissioned by The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Canada, The University of Cleveland Children’s Hospital in Cleveland, Ohio and the Lucille Packard Children’s Hospital of Stanford, California.