FIGURATIVE PAINTER James Gillick lives and works in a quiet, beautiful backwater of rural Lincolnshire, England where he runs his busy studio. He makes all his materials by hand using techniques that date back to the 17th century. James’ work ranges from the smallest of still lifes, including game paintings to life size horse paintings. He also works on a wide variety of commissioned projects including portraiture and historic restoration.
Notable commissions include portraits of the Rt. Honourable Margaret Thatcher and His Holiness Pope John Paul II. The 700 or so paintings to have come from his brush in the last 27 years are to be found in private collections and places of worship across the globe.
‘”You are only as good as your last painting” was a phrase I grew up with: it was an expression my parents commonly used. Regardless of which paintings have brought me money, brief fame or full order books I still aspire to make the latest painting the one that changes my life even after 25 years of commissions and gallery shows. In fact, I was taught that if a young artist sets off aspiring to anything else, their work would become by degrees uninteresting, ultimately valueless.
So, bit by bit my paintings improve. As they change, I grow. I add to them technically every year. As I age, small thoughts added to small thoughts and little insights added to little insights have made my work more intelligent. The way my studio operates gets more thorough, more interesting.”‘
