About James Cowland

My name is James Cowland, I studied Fine Art: Painting at the University of Brighton, UK after a foundation year at Central Saint Martins in London. I have been painting since I was a child, initially in imitation of my father - a respected Aviation artist. His influence shows in my process - my practice is often centrally subject driven imbued with valuable narrative. My subjects, however, are varied and intuitive. I select subjects loaded with untapped meaning and commit them to canvas, board or aluminium sheet in oils, or to paper in charcoals or graphite. This conversion from subject matter to artwork is where I unpack that hidden meaning for myself, resulting in a thoughtful and enigmatic artwork with few obvious answers. I find this process is like speaking before thinking, learning more about oneself through experience. I have recently built upon my practice by designing compositions using rendering software, before converting digital models into physical two dimensional artworks. This enables me to explore qualities of light and texture on form or scene, and develop understanding of the image's purpose early on. Because the digital model only exists hypothetically, I am free to experiment and explore how I paint, as I paint. This process is more like thinking before speaking, but speaking freely. I currently work for Blind Veterans UK as an Art and Craft instructor in Rehabilitation. Here, I deliver training and meaningful activities in all manner of arts and crafts to V.I. Ex-service folk of all ages. The members and I have a lot to offer one another.