James Green

Bio

James Green (British, b. 1989)

James Green is a British contemporary painter whose work explores the relationship between abstraction, figuration, and material process. Working within a field of expressive contemporary painting, his practice occupies a space where form emerges through decision-making rather than representational intent. Gestural marks, vibrant colour, and physical surface activity combine to create paintings that feel immediate, direct, and materially present.

Green’s practice is rooted in intuitive mark-making and sustained engagement with materials. He frequently works on unstretched canvas, allowing raw edges, scraped paint, and layered surfaces to remain visible as part of the finished work. These elements function as a record of the painting’s development, foregrounding process and presence over polish or resolution.

Although driven by instinct, Green’s paintings demonstrate a careful balance between spontaneity and compositional control. Figures and forms often appear only partially, hovering between recognition and abstraction. Rather than illustrating subjects or narratives, the work explores how meaning, rhythm, and structure can arise through the accumulation, adjustment, and erasure of paint.

Green has exhibited internationally and his work is held in private collections worldwide. Alongside his solo practice, he collaborates with French artist Monsieur Jamin under the shared identity PROOF, an ongoing partnership that explores non-verbal communication through painting and shared studio practice.