A native of Cleveland, TN, James McKissic has been drawing since he could hold a crayon. He has studied art at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, Cleveland State Community College and the Creative Arts Workshop in New Haven, CT. James has also studied educational video production and film-making, while a graduate student at NYU.

He is employed by the Urban League of Greater Chattanooga and enjoys collecting and sharing visual art with young people as a volunteer and visiting artist. His work has been widely exhibited at galleries and community spaces. Most recently he was part of an exhibit at the Caribbean Culture Center and MoCADA in New York City.