James Hook is a London-born self taught artist with a background in photography and creative darkroom techniques. He began painting and sculpting during the pandemic, inspired by the people, animals, sights and sounds of the world around him, creating portraits of people and pets from his imagination. Working primarily with acrylic paint on wood to create figurative paintings and sculptures from found objects and basic carving skills, James' work has been exhibited in many Portland galleries including Guardino, Brassworks, Blind Insect, and Gallery Go-Go, and is currently a member of Artistic Portland Gallery. He regularly opens his studio on weekends in the summer, holding impromptu demos and selling work to passers by. This evolved into last summers' Alley fest where two blocks of alleyway were turned into an art market and fun family day out.
"My work focuses on people and animals, their relationships, emotions and interactions. Working mostly with acrylic and enamel house paint in layers that are often scraped off to create the shapes that help determine compositional elements and direct my intuitions. I often paint with my fingers, screwdrivers, scrapers, sandpaper when beginning paintings to create my compositional elements primarily on wood so I can be a little more aggressive than on traditional canvas." |
Media: Acrylic | Mixed Media | Painting
Email: jamespeterhook@gmail.com
Website: jameshook.format.com
Instagram: @jamespeterhook
