When I spoke with James Schlichting, he referred to himself as a “jack of all trades.” He then
chuckled and added the well-known rest of the phrase, “master of none.” Hearing about James’ work
and seeing pictures, it is clear he not the “master of none.” James has always been an artist and
created in one form in another.
James went to Buffalo University and became an art teacher and then went on to get a B.F.A in
Sculpture & Painting. James taught for 10 years in the Philadelphia school system. Besides art, he
was also a vocational education teacher.
Sculptor, painter, Hollywood set carpenter, cabinet maker, mosaic artist…while seemingly disparate
art forms, they share the commonality of being ways in which James has worked with his hands to be
creative. His journey to become someone who designs and creates and collaborates on large-scale
community mosaic installations has not been a straight path. He has left his artistic mark in many
ways in many different places.
James started out in Los Angeles where he was a Hollywood set carpenter. This is where he started
making mosaic-topped tables, using Malibu tiles made by friends. From there he headed east towards
Pittsburgh when his former wife became a professor at Clarion University. There he created custom
mosaic tables which were available in many stores from Pittsburgh to Hudson. He also continued to
draw and paint. After 5 or 6 years James felt he needed to do something more lucrative and began his
career as a teacher.
While James no longer makes mosaic tables, he has, throughout the years, traded tables for large-
scale, often mixed media, mosaic murals. These murals showcase both James’ abilities and eye for
color and interesting objects and tiles as well as those of the community members with whom he
works. His mosaics can be found in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Florida.
In Pennsylvania (Philadelphia specifically), there is a mosaic mural at Ben Franklin High School
created with volunteers. Another big project where he worked with many volunteers is in the
Fairmount Park area. Currently, he is working with community volunteers as well as other members
of MSoP at the Overbrook Environmental Center on a 60 ft x 12 ft mosaic mural.
A taste of James’ work can be found in South Beach in Florida. This project was created in
collaboration with his brother-in-law. They created it in New Jersey and then took it with them to
install on a balcony. It was a colorful and fun installation that fit perfectly into the picturesque
landscape of South Beach.
James currently lives in Collingswood, NJ, not too far from Camden. Camden is the home of one of
James’ biggest projects, a Four Seasons Mosaic Mural, which will be dedicated to the Heart of
Camden. This mural has both mosaic parts and painted parts and was originally started with help
from Father Doyle as a way to engage and include community members in beautifying the area. It is a
four-sided installation, each panel being 14 ft high by 20 ft wide. To date over 500 volunteers have
worked on this project which was started 10 years ago. With “Spring” being the only unfinished
portion, they are waiting on funding to finally get the project completed.
James, who is retired and has some disabilities, including no sight in his left eye, as a result of a
motorcycle accident says he is lucky to be alive. Loss of some of his vision has kept James from being
able to drive, but it has not kept him from continuing to work with the community to create mosaics
that everyone can enjoy.