5 min read

A Profile of Sydney James –
 What it takes to paint at monumental scale

Published Jan 21, 2026
By
  • Ashley Simon
Knight Foundation
Photo credit: Daniel Ribar

Overview

Sydney G. James is a Detroit-born and Detroit-based fine arts painter and muralist whose large-scale public works and studio practice explore Black identity, representation and community. She earned a BFA from the College for Creative Studies and began her career as an art director in advertising before expanding into visual art in film and television in Los Angeles. James returned to Detroit in 2011 and has since completed murals locally and across the globe, including the acclaimed Girl With the D Earring in the North End.

She was awarded a 2017 Kresge Arts in Detroit Fellowship and co-founded the BLKOUT Walls street mural festival, creating platforms for diverse artists. Her work has been exhibited at institutions including the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit and the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, as well as galleries such as Detroit Artists Market, Red Bull House of Art and Janice Charach Gallery.

Q&A

When you’re starting something like this, what’s the very first thing you have to do? Where does it all begin?

The first thing I do is research. I look at the location—what it is, what it was, and how it’s structured. I ask the basic questions: who, what, where and why.

With The Girl with the D Earring, that meant really spending time in the North End. There’s a lot of history there, especially around Black life and Black presence in the neighborhood. I wanted to understand the people in the area and what that place actually is.

The building itself—the Chroma building—was originally a cold storage facility, so that history mattered too. I often use compositions that already exist in pop culture. In this case, it was The Girl with the Pearl Earring. The “D” comes from the Detroit Tigers logo, but it’s also bigger than that—it’s the branding of Detroit.

Community engagement is important to me, especially with public work. I want it to be a two-way conversation between the artist and the people who live around it. The work should feel enjoyable and relatable to the community.

When I was contacted to work on the Ralph C. Wilson site, there were a few things I had to consider right away. The structure is unique—it’s a ventilation system. It’s also owned by Canada and visible from Canada. Because of that, it couldn’t just work from one angle. It had to be a full 360 experience. You have to think about who can see it and how far away they are.

Once I do the homework, I start drawing. For Ralph C. Wilson, I listed out ideas of what people can actually do and enjoy in a public park. I wanted to draw something that works whether you’re young or old, able-bodied or disabled. And everybody can enjoy bubbles. It’s something people can experience together.

I also like to put little Easter eggs in my work. Inside the bubbles, there are small silhouettes showing different ways to get to Canada—the tunnel, the bridge. It’s a simple composition, but it says a lot. You don’t have to put the kitchen sink in there.

Billboard photo
Photo credit: Doug Coombe

What tools, skills, or supports do you absolutely rely on to make this work possible?

The tools change with the job. Going back to Ralph C. Wilson, for example, you can’t do something like that alone. You need people. You need relationships—especially with lift rental companies. They come out, review the site and tell you exactly what equipment you’ll need. A lot of the time, you’re gauging a project based on what you’ve done before.

With The Girl with the D Earring, I worked with a team of six people and we finished it in about five and a half days. I thought it would be the same with Ralph C Wilson Park—ha!—but I didn’t fully account for the scale. It’s about 2000 sq ft larger than Girl with the D Earring because of the size and the 360-degree nature of it.

I also have Sherwin-Williams come out to help estimate how much paint I’m going to need. Big projects need big equipment and big tools.

Smaller projects are different. For those, I used mural paint by Chroma. It’s a more liquid outdoor–indoor acrylic with really great coverage.

No matter the tools, though, I want you to be able to recognize my work. The tools can change, but the voice should still be there.

What would you say is the most difficult part of the work that demands the most from you mentally or logistically?

It’s physical. I don’t care if you’re on a small wall or a huge wall. Mural artists aren’t blue-collar or white-collar—we’re just collared. We have to be trained on the equipment like any other construction worker. We need the same certifications and the same insurance.

It’s physically challenging, and it’s mentally challenging too, because you’re often isolated. You might be standing for hours. It’s intensive labor. That’s the part a lot of people don’t see or understand, because art is so—art is so beautiful.

What’s one mistake or failure that taught you something important or essential?

Whatever happens on this planet—good or terrible—there are lessons everywhere. With the Ralph C. Wilson Park project, I had a huge mess up with the UV protection coating . The product wasn’t mixed properly and it sprayed on very thick and uneven.. An hour later,  it rained hard. The following day, I woke up to a text from someone at the park with photos attached, asking, “Is this supposed to look like that?” It didn’t look right at all. There was a thick foggy film covering my painting; specifically the biggest face on the painting. It was so frustrating because we’d already put a lot of work in. That moment taught me patience. Step away. If you’re unsure or feeling overwhelmed, don’t come back angry. Take a beat, take care of yourself, and then come back with a solution.

How do you stay sane? What helps keep your perspective or keep you grounded when things become overwhelming?

I always remind myself that everything turns out ok. Everything is fixable. I can’t control how other people treat me or perceive me, but I can control how I respond.

What’s one book that you think everyone should read?

E.M. Forster’s science fiction short story The Machine Stops. Everybody should read it.

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