Description

Ann-Marie James' intricate paintings are built up through layer upon layer of not only materials but also techniques. She often starts with a drawing of a limb or limbs borrowed from art history, a leg purloined from a Bernini sculpture or a chubby arm of one of Peter Paul Rubens' putti. From the drawing comes a silkscreen and then, at various points, she adds layers of thick medium, expressionistic splashes of acrylic and blobs of ink. Throughout she highlights different moments with delicate and precise drawing around a spot of paint or a stenciled limb. Stepping back from the process and the detail, the overall compositions take on an intense wave of dark, kinetic energy. Published on the occasion of her exhibition Ann-Marie James: Proserpina at Karsten Schubert, London (6 March - 5 April 2013), this book features seven paintings alongside a text by Michael Bracewell.