Maggie James (born 1956) is a British painter, who studied Fine Art at Newcastle Poly and the Royal College of Art 1979 - 1982, where she was awarded the John Minton Scholarship.

During the following decades Maggie has developed a rich collaborative studio based practice, involved with Open Books, The Welsh Group and Butetown Artists Studios.

Currently paintings refer to the delicate ecosystems thriving along pathways, observed on bike rides and walks in and around the city of Cardiff. Recent painting exhibitions include Seen and Unseen, BayArt, Cardiff 2024; A Celebration of Welsh Contemporary Painting, Found Gallery, Brecon, 2022.

In 2021 Maggie created work with architect EuJin Lim as part of openbooksonline collaboration with The Godown, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.  In 2016 Maggie co-curated Open Books. À Livre Ouvert, LAC, Ottawa, Canada and took part in Open Books: artists and the Chinese folding book, Sanshang Museum of Contemporary Art, Hangzhou, China 2013.

Earlier shows include 56 Group Wales touring exhibitions to Czechoslovakia in 1986 and 1991.

Artist’s Statement

The paintings are all linked to walks and cycle rides in the landscape around Cardiff and in the gardens of the Alhambra. I feel it is important to be near trees or water every day. When you walk next to trees or beside a river, you are more aware of vibrant matter all around. I am interested in being part of this abundant flow and vital force of the world I perceive around me, it’s an elemental connection, a sensory experience.

I use paint to suggest this feeling and to describe space. The paintings become glimpses of landscape, some close to the body others suggesting deep space. I work with oil paint, mainly because I am interested in the translucent, mineral qualities of the colours. Oil painted onto the fine weave of the primed linen is very sensitive to touch, as you remove or add paint. Initially I use the process of using photos & quick fire drawings, on my walks. Back in the studio they are used as memory aids to building the skeletal structure of the paintings.

I am quite interested in the unpopulated landscapes of Eric Ravilious’ 1935 paintings of chalk paths and Eugene Atgets 1912 photographs of the Tuileries. Both refer to spaces that could easily be lost.