Born in Brooklyn, New York, James Grashow attended Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, where he received his undergraduate diploma, followed by a year of study in Florence under a Fulbright Travel grant for painting and graphics. He returned to Pratt for his M.F.A. In 1965. He is an artist, sculptor, and wood engraver whose work has been widely exhibited in both solo and group exhibitions, and has received numerous awards in all aspects of his oeuvre. He lives in Connecticut.