James Wines graduated from
Syracuse University in 1956. He became a Fellow of the American Academy in Rome that year and was bestowed a
Guggenheim Fellowship in 1962. He then began his career as a sculptor and graphic designer, exhibiting with the
Otto Gerson Gallery (subsequently Marlborough Gallery) in New York. Wines’ corporate clients include Swatch, MCA Universal, MTV, Nickelodeon, Williwear, Isuzu, Disney,
Costa Coffee, Carrabba's Restaurants, Saporiti Italia, Brinker International, Allsteel, Ranger Italia, Reliance Energy Corporation, and Denny's. Among municipal clients, he has worked for the cities of Hiroshima, Yokohama, Toyama, Seville, Vienna, Vancouver, Le Puy en Velay, Chattanooga, and New York City. His original drawings for these projects have graced the covers of dozens of international design magazines. As an educator, Wines originally held adjunct positions at the
New School for Social Research (1963–65) and a number of other institutions. In 1974, he taught as an Associate Professor of Fine Art in the
New York University Department of Art and Arts Professions. This was followed by visiting professorships at
Dartmouth College, the
University of Wisconsin,
New Jersey School of Architecture, and
Cooper Union Design Center. He was chair of the Environmental Design department at
Parsons School of Design from 1984 to 1990. After teaching at
Domus Academy in Italy and at the
University of Oklahoma, he became a professor of architecture at
Pennsylvania State University in 1999. Wines has built a legacy of mentoring emerging art talent, including noted designer, Alex Donahue. Wines' daughter Suzan is also an architect and co-owns the firm I-Beam Design with fellow architect Azin Valy. Both Suzan and Azin are graduates of Cooper Union. ==Philosophy on hand drawing==