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James Reynolds
Born 1974
Lives and works in London, UK
www.jhtreynolds.com
James Reynolds is an artist infl uenced by fi gurative aspects as a way of exploring often personal concerns through a
process of painting. The fi gures and spaces in his work are anonymous, as if there was a fl eeting glance at something
or someone, which then leaves a vague reference. He is interested in making work that is pushed to abstraction but
which retains a recognisable element to pull the work back, creating a friction between the two.
March Number 1 and March Number 2 form part of an as yet unfi nished series of paintings that are concerned with
the process and development of the painted portrait. Each is anonymous and not a classic representation of the
'portrait', though the traditional elements are evident throughout the painting’s execution.
More recently, James’ work has retained the fi gurative aspects that primarily hold interest for him, employing more
observational drawing and relying on the repetition of painting to fi nd and ‘describe’ the image. His painting
practice is often quite spontaneous, with the challenges of drawing, colour and composition being worked out on
the surface. This, for him, gives the work a history and narrative with the glimpses of previous marks and colours that
lend a sense of both frustration and resolution.
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JAMES REYNOLDS graduated with a BA (Hons) Fine Art Painting in 1997 after having studied at Leeds Metropolitan
University and Complutense University of Madrid in 1996 (as part of an ERASMUS exchange programme). Soon after
leaving University, James completed an Artists-in-Residence tenure with Artescape Trust, Lincolnshire - a residency which
is aimed at allowing recent graduates to continue in their development at the beginning of their career. James has
participated in a number of group exhibitions including; Northern Graduates Exhibition, Curwen Gallery, London, UK
(1997), Artescape Exhibition, Greenstone Gallery, De Montfort University, Lincoln, UK (1998), Confl ict and Resolution,
La Galleria, London, UK (2011), Then and Now, Royal Opera Arcade Gallery, London, UK (2012) and Works on Paper,
Espacio Gallery, London, UK (2013).
Above: March Number 1, 2013, Oil on Board.
h: 44cm w: 51cm d: 5cm, Location.
Left: March Number 2, 2013, Oil on Board.
h: 40cm w: 54cm d: 4cm, Location.
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