James Murch
James has been drawing and painting for as long as he can remember, grateful for a family that always encouraged creativity.
After moving from Bristol to Devon in 2009, James developed a love for painting outdoors, initially specialising in portraiture. It wasn’t until being shortlisted for the Royal Academy’s Summer Exhibition that he gained the confidence to paint his landscapes at busier locations such as Cockington Court, where he would meet the site’s director, Marissa Wakefield.
Thanks to Landscape Artist of the Year, James’s oil paintings went on to find collectors through Clarendon, Mayfair. Soon after, James was given a solo exhibition at Cockington Court and the Devon Open Studios Bursary award later that year.
James was offered a residency at Cockington Court and used the time to experiment with other mediums alongside his oil paintings, utilizing the studio space and outdoor sketches and sometimes working from memory, in a bold and painterly style. Crucial to James’s work is a close observation of nature, working directly from life, which he says brings him so much inspiration and a vitality into the finished artwork.
James continues to work at his studio at Cockington Court, using the surrounding country park for inspiration.
