About James Smith

James Smith was born in Glasgow and moved to London as a teenager. He started painting and sculpting after a career as a geologist and geophysicist, at the end of which he was for years in charge of mapping structures in the North Sea for British Gas. He attended life-painting classes with John Meaker at Great Missenden and at Amersham College, and sculpture workshops at Amersham, the East Finchley Institute, Morley College and City Lit.

James’ painting was initially influenced by the Fauves and Van Gogh and he paints mainly in oil on board. He has travelled widely in the UK and abroad painting landscapes, mainly in Cornwall and France but also in Morocco, Italy, Spain and Nepal. He hand-builds his sculptures in clay, adding glazes and sometimes casting the results. He has held solo exhibitions at Lauderdale House (2004), Morvah Gallery, Cornwall (2012), the Highgate Gallery (2013) and The New Gallery (2014). His sculpture has been displayed at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition (2006) and twice at the V&A Museum (2004 and 2010).

He lives in North London.