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James Creighton Long Jr. (J.J.) was born on March 19, 1981 in Winchester Hospital, Winchester, MA. He was born to the parents of James Creighton Long Sr. and Ingrid Patricia Long. J.J. is the oldest of three siblings with his younger sister Tiffany Crosby being second born and his younger brother Jeffrey Long being the youngest. J.J. grew up in Melrose, MA where he attended the Melrose public school system and completed middle school and high school both with high marks. J.J.'s youth was always engrossed by the creative art & music culture around him. He use to sing as a male soprano in the choir at their local church, as well as participated in cub scouts, little league baseball, and private art classes. For vacations, the Long family would visit York Beach, ME typically the first 2 weeks in July every year. In high school, he was graced with the teachings of fine art teachers Paul Squatrito, Kathy Marsh, & Chris Riccardi. Through their teachings, Long gained a stronger affinity toward art and continued his artistic journey into college. At the University of New Hampshire, Long had the honor of studying under nationally renowned art professors Craig Hood, Jennifer Moses, Grant Drumheller, and Brian Chu. In 2003, Long received a B.A. in Studio Art with a focus in oil painting and graduated with high honors as part of the "University Honors in The Arts" Program.
Since graduating from UNH, Long has been surviving solely off of his oil painting since late 2005. He currently makes his living from selling his oil paintings at gallery shows, open studios, art festivals, and coffee shops all over New England and also from being hired to do commission work for clients (For a full bio on his Fine Art career please click on the "Painting Career" link above). In conjunction with his oil painting career, J.J. has aggressively been pursuing a music career as well. In 2004 he joined the rock/metal band Asystole which started a great foundation for his music career. When the group disbanded in 2007, Long took a year off from music to further establish his fine art career, pay off some debt, and create more stability for his art business called JJARTWORKS. After J.J. had taken enough time off to stabilize his art business, he got the "band" itch again and decided to audition for another professional music group.
In 2008 Long joined the already established metalcore band Hell Within based out of Lowell, MA. At the time Hell Within was already signed to German/American label Lifeforce Records which gave them great credibility in the U.S. and European markets. The band had already been touring the country relentlessly for the past 6 years, so J.J. was fortunate enough to join a group that had an unparalleled work ethic and the drive he was looking for. The band was a well oiled machine that knew how to adapt to the ever changing music industry. In 2010 the band signed with Thorp Records and in July of that year they released their Thorp debut full length cd entitled "God Grant Me Vengeance" which was well received by fans. During his tenure with the band, J.J. was able to participate in 3 Full U.S. Tours and a few east coast tours. Through the rigorous touring life, he was able to gain great perspective on the evolving music industry and apply many marketing tactics to his fine art career as well. Due in large part to the fact that J.J. wanted to focus primarily on his oil painting career, the band disbanded on November 11, 2011 with their final show occurring at the Village Club Smokehouse in Lowell, MA.
For all of 2012, Long focused primarily again on his oil painting career seeking out more gallery representation and also touring New England relentlessly, this time with his EZ-Up Tent and paintings in hand rather than musical equipment. From May 2012 - October 2012, J.J. participated in over 50 art festivals/shows during the peak Summer and Fall seasons. His relentless commitment to the "road show" lifestyle helped alleviate much of the financial stress he was experiencing in his life at that point. Toward the end of 2012, Long decided to refine his art style even more by branching away from traditional realism and focusing primarily on fantasy and surreal art. J.J. continues to paint in that style and is the happiest he has ever been when he's moving his brush on the canvas.
Today, J.J. is pushing the envelope even further with his artistry and embarking on a professional acting career. Although he is a complete novice in the realm of acting, he honestly feels that acting is the one true art medium he's been searching for his whole life! Conveying the human emotion in the rehearsal room or on camera is the most creative transformational journey there is. He still loves painting and loves singing (and will continue to do so), but J.J. sincerely feels that acting was what he was born to do. Currently J.J. is taking acting classes and workshops wherever available, as well as booking gigs, gaining experience, and continually building upon his resume. J.J. is now focusing most of his attention on a professional acting career, while at the same time displaying in art exhibitions and writing music.
