Fine artist Paul James is a gifted wildlife, animal and landscape artist. James first remembers painting as early as four years old. “I can recall drawing alongside my Dad, who as a reasonable artist himself was the first person to influence me”. “Together we drew pages and pages of racing cars and steam trains and it was Mum that commented on how good mine were. I would also spend hours on end modelling with plasticine and mechano.”
Currently resident in Southern Ireland, he was born and grew up in Leicestershire, England. His artistic and musical abilities became apparent from a relatively early age and with the support and encouragement of his parents he is essentially self taught. He did go to Art College at the insistence of his teachers to study graphic design, but being something of a rebel he did not wish to conform to the course requirements so left and began to make something of a living painting classic cars and commissions of neighbors pet dogs and cats.
He then went on to paint professionally in 1986. It was the haunting beauty of the nearby Charnwood Forest that greatly influenced his early atmospheric landscape and animal paintings for which he has become renowned. Although James continues to paint in fine detail for which he has become known, he has given many of his pieces a more humorous edge and has played around with perspective and size which has given his images a more contemporary feel.