Sally James
Artist & Printmaker
I am a landscape artist specialising in linocut printmaking from my home studio in Kingston, Southern Tasmania.
Sally James
Artist & Printmaker
I am a landscape artist specialising in linocut printmaking from my home studio in Kingston, Southern Tasmania.
As a biological scientist, I am drawn to living forms and landscapes as subject matter. I perceive them as dynamic systems, made up of many connected parts, constantly interacting with each other.
Making art has always been part of my life. Growing up in the suburbs of Hobart, Tasmania, there was always the river, the mountain, and trees at the skyline.
I loved to draw and paint watercolours from an early age, and during my career as a scientist I found that making art helped me to clear my mind and keep a sense of perspective.
After completing my Ph.D. in Microbiology and working as a researcher and lecturer in Sweden and Australia, I left academia and moved back to Tasmania with my young family. All the while I continued to create art and attending short courses to expand my knowledge.
I discovered reduction linocut images online and instantly loved its distinctive look: the blend of crisp edges and colour gradients, and the highlighting of light and dark tones. I soon made linocut printmaking my primary artistic medium.
Each new artwork presents an enjoyable technical puzzle requiring me to plan how the overlapping layers will combine to create the final image.
I have since developed a style of landscape art that is realistic but slightly abstracted. My work has been well received – regularly winning awards in local and national competitions.