James Penney studied at the Univeristy of Kansas and the Art Students League in New York. Among his honors have been a medal from the Kansas City Art Institute; a graphics award from the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, New York; a Audubon Artists prize; and a purchase award from Munson-Williams-Proctor Institute, Utica, New York. He executed murals for public buildings such as the Nebraska State Capitol. His paintings are found in public collections such as the Nelson Gallery-Atkins Museum, Kansas City, Missouri; the Hirshhorn Museum, Washington, D.C.; Howard University, Washington, DC; and the Montreal Museum of Art, Canada. Among his teaching appointments were: Vassar College; the Munson-Williams-Proctor Institute, Utica, New York, and Hamilton College, Clinton, New York.
