I now work around the lively Fitzvoria neighbourhood in Central London and managed to pay a visit to the Coningsby gallery and found out about one of their upcoming shows and in particular about James Starr
Jim Starr will be exhibiting his exquisite sketches, paintings and prints of birds, and avian-influenced portraits at the Coningsby Gallery opening Monday 12 October.
Inspired by his expeditions worldwide and wildlife on the Thames, twenty works by Starr will be shown, displaying field sketches of Spoonbills, Herons and Eagles, alongside their final incarnations as large-scale canvases.
Starr began painting birds when he was just 13 years old. He has worked as an expedition artist throughout his career, recording through sketches and photography the wildlife he saw on trips to Svalbard, Iceland, the Himalayas and the Rockies.
Through illustration Starr experimented with screen-printing methods, which he now combines with painting to create his own mixed-media hybrid.
Starr’s latest works are developed through the layering of screen-prints and paint repeatedly onto canvas; a method that Starr likens to a ‘remix’. The species are depicted in great detail as a result, surrounded by abstract landscapes of Pop-like colours and subtle textures.
WHAT – ‘Birds of Paradise’ by James Starr
WHEN – 12 October 2015–24 October 2015
WHERE – Coningsby Gallery, 30 Tottenham Street, London W1T 4RJ
As I stepped in, I could not help noticing the relatively small size of the gallery but also the large patio that the gallery benefits from and which was, according to Corey, the graphic designer for the gallery and the person I met that day, pretty convenient to accommodate the large amount that turned up at the opening night.
