Provincetown Artists: James Balla

James Balla has lived in P-town for 30 years now and produces a steady output of abstract works that are varied in expression, ranging from the precise to the imprecise, the hard-edged to the fluid, sometimes combining these directions, as in the small works shown here. They are a mere 6 x 6 inches, but really pack some wallop. (Some of his pieces in this style are quite large.) We own the painting shown above. It's animated by an immensely dynamic composition, and it represents the aesthetic that Balla has dubbed "divide and dissolve." John Waters, who is a friend of James and his partner Albert Merola, refers to the slightly druggy quality in his work. Hey, we call that nostalgia! (Click below on Provincetown in labels to see more P-town artists.)