About the Artist

James was born in London, England in 1962 and although he studied art at school it was not until he migrated to New York City in 1982 and found himself working as a painter that he started to grow and understand color and different mediums. However it was the discovery of Venetian plaster in the mid eighties that really captured his attention and its potential as not just a wall finish but as a living breathing entity more than capable of hanging as art. James’ time in New York put him in front of some of America’s best artisans in the field of interior decorating and faux finishing and was consequentially privileged to call Jackie Onassis, The Rockefellers, Yoko Ono, Donald Trump and many more as clients.

James did not truly explore the potential of Venetian plaster as a medium to create art until 1994. It was at this time that James relocated to Atlanta and proceeded to perfect his technique while continuing as a faux and decorative painter achieving a success consistent with New York. Since being in Atlanta James has had the pleasure of working with the Turner family amongst other prominent Atlanta residents and his work has been featured in Southern Living, House Beautiful, Atlanta and Veranda magazines. It still took James several years experimenting with Venetian plaster on various surfaces before he was able to achieve the finish and depth he was striving for in art.

James’ inspiration has been drawn from life experience; he has traveled extensively around the world on land and sea both for pleasure and as a missionary, his more recent mission work experiences in China and Kenya particularly. James still has a love for his native country and especially the winter season where his pieces of solitary trees are derived. Many of his more recent pieces are focused on birch forests capturing the essence of their characteristic bark.

James is an emerging artist who is proud to now be an American citizen and he continues to explore all that the medium of Venetian plaster has to offer and is excited to see its future in the art world.