Edinburgh based artist James Lumsden creates paintings primarily concerned with process – building translucent glazes of paint until an illusion of light and depth are achieved. The process involves the application of multiple (up to 40 or more) thin glazes of acrylic paint and gloss medium. Each layer is dragged, pulled or manipulated with various implements – this being repeated layer upon layer until the painting begins to emerge.
Arrived at by both chance and deliberation, the final painting reveals varying chromatic strata, which can be seen through the translucence and depth of the work. The aim is to make paintings, which are luminous, seductive, sensual and atmospheric. Lumsden is fascinated in how the raw materials innate to the medium can be turned into something poetic – an object filled with light, feeling, atmosphere and emotion.
