James Church, a multimedia and three-dimensional collage artist who was an integral part of the local arts community, died Tuesday at his home in Lawrenceville. He was 46.

The Allegheny County coroner's office said the cause and manner of Mr. Church's death is pending.

Earlier this year, Mr. Church contributed an elaborately framed shadowbox with a baby figure scene to "Art Grab" at the Digging Pitt Gallery in Lawrenceville. "Art Grab" was a benefit for Artist Image Resource, a print-making gallery on the North Side, and Digging Pitt Gallery.

Over the years, his work has been featured at the former Studio Z, the Society for Contemporary Craft and other galleries in the area.

"He was a wonderful guy and a real creative presence in Pittsburgh," said Janet McCall, executive director of the Society for Contemporary Craft. "He was not only interested in creating his own art but also supporting other artists through exhibitions and sales."

At two different times, Mr. Church owned art galleries in Lawrenceville -- one on Penn Avenue and the other on Butler Street.

"He was always a seeker in life," said Ms. McCall. "He was always looking for a larger meaning in life. He had a lot of talent, but he also carried burdens. You could see both of those aspects in his work, which dealt with the loneliness and fragility of life. But there was also hope and beauty.

"He would find these weird but wonderful objects at flea markets and put them together in unexpected ways to create sculptures that really spoke to you."

Ms. McCall said Mr. Church was associated with the Society for Contemporary Craft for more than five years. During that time, he worked as an instructor in the education center. He was also a featured artist at the society's store and participated in art demonstrations and special events.

Craig Falatovich, sales manager for the society, said working with Mr. Church "has been a pleasant experience."

Mr. Falatovich said Mr. Church had co-signed more than 75 works of art since 2000.

"I have enjoyed his visits to [the society], especially when he arrived with a box of new creations," he said.

Many of the new pieces were untitled.

"James would title these pieces on the spot, which I found to be quite revealing about himself and his work," said Mr. Falatovich.

Mr. Church was born in Carlisle, Cumberland County, and was drawn to the works of artists like Andy Warhol and Yves Tanguy.

After graduating from high school, he moved to New York City. While there, he visited museums and galleries and affirmed his love for art. Although he had no formal art education, Mr. Church was able to get some of his work featured in galleries on the Lower East Side.

In the late 1980s, he moved to Los Angeles for a few years but returned to New York.

In 1995, Mr. Church married Paula Bandle, of Vermont. The couple has an 8-year-old daughter, Sophie. In 1998, the family moved to Pittsburgh.

He began to create assemblage art after painting for many years.

"I wanted to introduce nontraditional materials into my work and discover a new language of visual expression," he once said. "I find my material at flea markets, garage sales and junk shops."

Paula Church said her husband "lived for his art."

"He had a multitude of interests. He loved music, books and art."

Mrs. Church said her husband was also an advocate for other artists.

"The art community is so competitive sometimes, but he always tried to help other artists," she said.

A celebration of Mr. Church's life and work is being organized for a future date. On Sunday friends will gather for a memorial walk, meeting at 2 p.m. inside the main gate of Allegheny Cemetery on Butler Street. Arrangements are being made by Good Funeral & Cremation Services Inc.