The Art of Paul James

From Palette to Painting

When I’m not travelling I like to spend as many daylight hours as I can behind my easel. I generally have the radio or CD’s playing; I have eclectic tastes from rock to classical or alternatively I might attempt to improve my Spanish with home learning tapes.

I used to regard myself essentially as a landscape artist, but more recently I’ve become known for my animal portraiture and urban imagery. Although many of my pieces are serious compositions, I do occasionally like to have fun and so some pictures have elements of humour in them.

I work primarily from my own photographic reference material, often creating a collage of different images to form a basis for my paintings. I paint in acrylic on canvas or board although occasionally I use oils which I find easier to blend when painting larger areas of colour such as backgrounds. The majority of my paintings are sizable as they need to do justice to the subject matter. I had a friend help me to build a customised easel with a turntable and pulleys to accommodate the large canvases that I use.

At any given time I have between seven and eight paintings in various stages of completion. This allows me to make best use of my palette and keeps me stimulated. Almost instinctively I know what size and shape the canvas or board should be for each piece.

Sometimes I will use charcoal, but more generally I use dark paint to sketch the outline plan and I correct with white paint.

Gradually I start to apply large areas of block colour. This stage normally takes a day or two to complete after which the detailing process then begins. I always start with the background and work forwards layer upon layer. I use a wide selection of brushes, many that I have had for years; even the most hairless have a part to play. I pay meticulous attention to detail as I want to achieve excellence.

Detail Reflection

At various stages I mix and apply glazes to enhance the light and atmosphere. Each painting for me is an emotional experience and I expend a great deal of energy and a fair amount of aggression with each piece. It is almost like a battle of wills as I try to impose myself upon the canvas. On average a painting takes several weeks to complete; I am not prolific, it is the quality of the end result that matters most to me.