FINE ARTPREVIEW
Comforts creature
Two very different animals find themselves a long way from home in Paul James’s new spring releases.
Paul has shot to fame with his witty and brilliant juxtapositions of creatures and contexts. All sorts of animals, from African wildlife to engaging domestic pets, can find themselves miles outside their comfort zones in unexpected urban and interior settings, and here he has given us two classic examples of this uniquely imaginative approach. Following on from the success of ‘Urban Gorilla’,
Paul intended to continue this theme by painting an orang-utan or another of the great apes against a similar urban backdrop. To familiarise himself with the subject, he started to sketch out this piece, and at first there was no raised hand. But something about it simply didn’t look right and his artist’s eye and ever present sense of fun led him to paint in the hand scratching the head – a sign of thoughtfulness and intelligent absorption. As he looked at the result Paul found himself wondering just what that orang-utan was thinking about, and, as sometimes happens with the creative process, it occurred to him that he looked just like someone considering their next move in a game of chess. And so it was that a grand master was born.
Far away from the refined world of chess playing orang-utans is the graffiti covered wall that provides the setting for the second piece in this unlikely pair. Paul spotted this wonderfully lugubrious Bassett Hound in the Spanish port town of Vigo, his first stop on a transatlantic crossing to the USA. Never one to miss an opportunity, he asked if he could take some photographs as the dog had such tremendous character in every line both of its expression and of its body. As soon as he saw it Paul knew exactly where this painting was going. He had been thinking about following up his striking and provoking ‘Urban Gorilla’, where he pitted wildlife against a backdrop that was completely urban. Here again we have a creature out of context – an engaging hound who might look more at home in a back garden or lounging in front of the fire than braving it on the city streets.
£650 FRAMED £835 GRAND MASTER
Box Canvas Edition of 125 Size 38”x 24”
Paper Edition of 125 Size 28”x 18” FRAMED £575
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