Artist:Paul James
Title: Hip Hop Harriet
Image Size: 25" x 25"
Medium: Giclee on Paper

Edition: 100
About the Artist: Essentially I regard myself as a landscape artist. I’ve become renowned in particular for the atmosphere that I capture within them. Most of my paintings include relevant animal life and sometimes it is the animals that take importance and become the main focus of my painting. Many of my pieces are serious compositions, although I also like to have fun and I may include elements of humour.

I work primarily from photographs, often creating a collage of different images to form a basis for my paintings. I paint in acrylic on canvas or board. The majority of my paintings are large, as they need to do justice to the subject matter.

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. 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 about a month to complete. Art is my obsession. I am not prolific; it is the quality of the end result that matters most to me.