Collection: Paul James Artist Biography and Art Gallery Collection

Paul James is a British artist born in rural Leicestershire, England. The haunting beauty of the nearby Charnwood Forest greatly influenced the atmospheric landscape and animal paintings for which he is renowned today. Theses paintings of charming animal portraits are brought to life through his deft use of color and exquisite attention to detail. Growing up with a talented family, Paul James always knew that he was destined to work in a creative field. In school, James thrived in both art and music, and he initially thought that he would grow up to be a concert pianist or rock star. However, James eventually decided that his true calling was in fine art. Ignoring the advice of his art teacher to attend art school to study the more lucrative field of graphic design, Paul James instead hung around his local Ferrari dealership painting exotic and classic cars as well as taking commissions to paint pet portraits. In 1986, James committed himself to painting professionally, and he moved his home and studio onto a boat, where he could always travel to a new source of inspiration. With an ever-changing background, James became well-known for his stunning landscapes. More recently, the focus of the landscape paintings of Paul James has shifted to animals, giving his work a more humorous feel.

Paul James claims that M.C. Escher, Salvador Dali, and David Shepherd have been major influences on his work, and he is always looking for inspiration and a new place to take his boat. Paul's work is increasingly attracting more attention and he has had a number of successes with paintings receiving awards at a number of exhibitions around the UK. (Finalist (last 20) in Not The Turner 2003 for "Camilla" Finalist in Not the Turner 2004 with "Road to Morella"," The Addenda Award" at Royal Birmingham Society of Artists Prize Exhibition June 2004 for "The Return" and "The Retreat" and the "Viewer's Favorite Award" at the Royal West of England Academy Autumn Exhibition 2004 for "The Retreat". Runner up Editor's Professional Collection - Wildlife Artist of the year 2005 with Wildscape Magazine with "Jarvis" and he was nominated as a Finalist in the Up and Coming Published Artist Award with the Fine Art Trade Guild 2005. In 2006 he was awarded Signature Membership of "The Society of Animal Artists" in New York. Although Paul has been painting professionally for over 24 years he feels that he is really only just beginning; he has so many ideas for new paintings and he has a desire to paint animals and landscapes from around the world.