James Green

Green paints directly onto raw, unstretched canvas, working instinctively, without preamble or pause for thought. His earliest work was observational and figurative, with a kind of meticulous precision, but, having demonstrated this precocious skill, he felt free to cast-off formal technique and to work in a more expressive way, characterised by loose, vivid unpredictability. The first impression is of gestural vitality and rich painterly effect – bright colours merge into murky smudges; sharp definition blurs into misty formlessness. There are sweeping lines; scribbly detail; indistinct colour washes; paint drips, flows or clumps into crusty accretions. Suggestions of formal structure are quickly subverted. Amidst this abstract maelstrom there are hints of crude calligraphy, figuration and human faces – ambiguous, half-formed, partially erased.

“The last decade has been about dissecting the human form in a process that is energetic, spontaneous and organic. I now find it more powerful to capture the essence of a person rather than to render an exact image. The paintings I make today are one-offs that I couldn’t replicate. They are unique to specific moments, authentic to me. I don’t look for or seek inspiration; I live my colo...

BA (Hons) Fine Art - Cardiff School of Art & Design (2007 - 2010)

‘Reckless Joy’ - Canvas Gallery (Sandbanks, Poole) - Oct 2022 / Solo Show
The Other Art Fair, London - Oct 2022
‘The Magnificent Modest’ - Well Hung Gallery (Hoxton, London) Sept 2022 / Group Show
‘Painted Word’, Galerie Sebban (Paris) 2021. Solo show featuring collaborative work created alongside french artist Monsieur Jamin
‘Small Wonders’, Well Hung (Hoxton, London) - July 2021 / Group show
Canvas Gallery (Poole, Dorset) - December 2021 / Solo show including 15 large scale paintings from my ‘Finding Freedom’ project
‘The Externals’, Chopper Chunky (London) - November 2021 / Group show featuring the work of contemporary expressionists
‘Defacement’, Zebra One (London) March 2021. Solo show of collaborative work made with fashion photographer Joe Quigg during lockdown
‘Chaos & Control’ - Chopper Chunky Gallery (Virtual) - March 2020
Marks & Tilt (London) - June ‘19. Solo show presenting body of work from my ‘Self portrait of somebody else’ project
Talented Art Fair, Old Truman Brewery (London) - March ‘19
The Other Art Fair, London - Oct 2018
‘The Asylum’ - Asylum Artist Management, Kings Cross (London) May - June 2018
Zebra One - Mayfair London - Dec 2017
‘Drawing Lines’ - Jealous Gallery (Crouch End, London), Sept -...