A Sense of Place
GARETH STEVENS talks to painter James MacKinnon
At times, the best visual artists I get to know are not always especially articulate about what they are trying to express in their work. So it is with James MacKinnon. His paintings are not illustrations of contrived pre-conceived art theories; rather they beautifully evoke a deeply held connection with urban landscape and vernacular architecture that many of us share, but may be unaware of. I sometimes get suspicious of those who are so adept at explaining their work in words. After all, if James wanted to do that, then he may as well write poetry. Indeed the way in which James’ paintings reveal the inherent beauty and wonder of our most prosaic surroundings is deeply poetic.
In conversation, James’ passion is palpable, and it is clear that his paintings are like love letters to the everyday scenes that are oftentimes overlooked, whether they be in the East End of London or in St Leonards.
“I moved to St Leonards a decade ago, having lived and painted in Hackney for many years.” James tells me “The landscape of the East End with its juxtaposition of canals, open spaces, tower blocks and railway lines had been my constant preoccupation, yet I looked forward to discovering new visual delights in an environment I was yet to explore.”
He goes on to explain that it is “the faded grandeur of the town, often bathed in a vivid coastal light” that he was previously unaccustomed to, that continually inspires him here.
Whether James is painting a snug bar, a deserted London underground tunnel or an intersection of a road bridge with a canal, it is his ability to conjure magic from the mundane which is so arresting. That is not to take anything away from his craft. His prowess when using colour is impressive. Subtle shifts in earth tones and hues … painstakingly mixed in oils and applied, bring such unmistakable authenticity to his paintings.
A more persuasive use of brighter colours has accompanied James to his relatively new seaside town. It is not unusual to see him painting in the street directly responding to whatever ‘place’ had most recently caught his eye. “I started painting on the London Road in St Leonards, focusing on the architectural vista that leads down towards the sea. The striking mural of the Love Café is prominently featured. The response locally was amazing, and commissions started flowing.” The ‘Love Café’ painting clearly demonstrates his love of coastal light, his ability to construct less obvious compositional structure and his exquisite attention to underlying perspective.
Recently ‘Bow Arts’ decided to form an exhibition exploring the past and present of east London, bringing together the historical paintings of the East London Group with a number of their 21st century contemporaries.
Exploring the artists’ shared passion for immortalising the streets and scenes of East London, the show explores this theme across time. The historic East London Group began with evening painting classes in Bethnal Green in the interwar years. Made up of mostly working-class men and women, the group simply painted what surrounded them – the East End. The group became enormously successful despite the class prejudices of the time.
James tells me that to be involved in the In the Footsteps of the East London Group exhibition is a great honour and only continues his resolve to keep producing East London- based work. The show is hosted by the Nunnery Gallery in Bow until 22 December. That James has a painting reproduced on the cover of the sumptuously produced exhibition catalogue, speaks volumes about the regard in which his work is held.
jamesmackinnonfineart.com
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