Philip James ROI (1948 - 2024)

Statement

Philip's practice as a painter spans fifty years, beginning with landscapes made on site in Sussex, Cornwall and the Lake District in the mid 1960s, leading to city views of London and Paris. He has worked on corporate commissions for businesses in the UK and USA, and regularly undertakes private portraits of individuals, families and children, working at his Islington studio.

Methodology

Philip generally works in oil on linen canvas, building studies in finely graded layers of a selected colour range. He generally prefers a subtle key to more strident tints. The watercolours are made on Bockingford, Arches or Watman hot press paper, with use of floated washes giving an airy feel, particularly in delicate children’s portraits.

He can work from photographs which are a part of sittings at the studio. Sometimes he visits the client’s home to gather reference.

Bio

BA in Fine Art, Slade School of Art. Studied Painting with Frank Auerbach and Keith Vaughan

MA History of Art, Kingston University

2006 Elected a Member of the Royal Institute of Oil Painters