James Harris, one of South Africa’s top artists brings life to walls around the world by capturing moments in his old master style.  James is an artist with an eye for the unseen, an uncanny sensitivity to nuance and ambience, to mood, milieu and soul.

James developed his own style and brush strokes as former impressionists did.  Woven into each brush stroke and shade of colour is the atmosphere that he captures with his oils.  Reluctant to consign his work to any specific style or genre, he describes it as vaguely ‘impressionistic’.  Harris approaches the portrayal of figures in his work in much the same way as portraiture, describing it as  ‘studies of the human form’.

Born in South Africa, James Harris studied Fine Arts at the Pro Arte School in Pretoria before travelling to Ireland, ostensibly for a stay of nine months.  After missing his flight home, he remained in Ireland for three years more.  During his stay, he was introduced to Aymon Klein, art dealer and erstwhile politician, who commissioned a series of equine studies.  Upon his return to South Africa, he continued to work for Klein before resuming his studies in the Fine Arts at the Natal Technicon.

Following this academic interlude, Harris gave utterance to the sculptor within and completed an apprenticeship at a bronze casting shop.  Here, he has cast works of artists like William Kentridge, Eduard Du Villa and Deborah Bell.

Today, James Harris is an established, matured artist who, over the course of the past 20 years, has proved his mettle and sharpened that eye he has for the unseen, that uncanny sensitivity to nuance and ambience …