James Neal

I hate defining myself- like most I'm much more than what I do to earn a living. There’s always a mix of creativity and activism in my step. My passions are painting and writing. I relish in the company of my partner, my family and my friends. My day job involves advising small business stakeholders on strategic financial matters.

I took up painting in 2018, and it has become an outlet through which I reinterpret normative constructions and self. In particular I'm drawn to the male form and figurative imagery. I completed a series of 50 portraits displayed as a 4 x 10 foot patchwork mural which commemorates the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots. Political activism has been a firmament in my life and informs my work.

After graduating from college and graduate school I worked on Wall Street in various capacities as an investment banker and investor. Then a start-up entrepreneur. Then US politics- the second gay person in US history to run for the US Senate. I have been a contributing writer to a host of publications mainly on current social issues.

I lectured on contemporary US politics as an adjunct professor- focusing on the corrosive influence of money in politics. News outlets CNBC, NPR, NBC, ABC, FOX, Channel One (Britain) and ORF (Austria) have featured me as a guest.

During the pandemic I enjoyed the expansive beauty of the Hudson Valley, became a vegetarian, painted and spent a lot of quality time with my youngest son.