England in January can often feel dull; Christmas is over and winter’s grip tightens. However, the surreal and mystical realism of James Tweedie’s paintings can transport viewers to dream-like scenes. His works often feature softly painted open park spaces with a quasi-narrative that gently conveys the quiet wonders of nature, humans and wildlife interacting. Giles Sutherlands said “…It is a pity that English appears to have no single term for the ability to render the ordinary extraordinary…” perhaps Tweedie’s work offers a fitting substitute.
Hailing from Manchester, James Tweedie relocated to Glasgow in his youth. Primarily self-taught, Tweedie’s artistic journey took a distinctive turn when he found inspiration in the works of Giorgio de Chirico. De Chirico, the founder of the Scuola Metafisica Art movement, had an influence on the surrealists such as Max Ernst, Salvador Dalí and René Magritte. Tweedie expresses his artistic vision through paintings done in acrylic and oil.
“The paintings are usually about my experience of places that I know, altered during the making in an attempt to express the mystery of our relationship to the world; moments of epiphany, wonder and perhaps a visual poetry that cannot be explained in words.”
Elected as a member of the Royal Glasgow Institute of the Fine Arts in 2016, Tweedie has garnered numerous accolades, including the Scottish Arts Club Award from the Royal Scottish Academy and the William Bowie Award from the Paisley Art Institute. His solo exhibitions at Thompson’s galleries, coupled with international showcases in Amsterdam, Aachen, Paris, Maastricht, Reims, and Troyes, underscore the global acclaim for Tweedie’s work.
Tweedie’s work will be shown in the Caledonian: The Scottish Exhibition at our Harpenden gallery, starting on the 6th of March, save the date!
March 4, 2024
