Renowned for his invention as an artist and beloved for his generosity as a mentor, George James retired from California State University, Fullerton, as a professor emeritus. His characteristic work on YUPO synthetic paper shows a moodily abstracted interior, often with repetitive, graphic motifs; truncated or faceless figures are limned by their gestures. The result is a psychological portrait of a relationship. James often did paintings of his friends. One friend, Betsy Dillard Stroud, said, “Being with George, both as painter and friend, was not only an aesthetic experience but also a totally hilarious adventure.” James gave this advice: “Trust your eye. Think of watercolors as shorthand, not longhand, and as suggesting, not rendering, a subject. But most importantly, think about watercolors as a visual haiku, a short insight into…