James was born in Glasgow in 1958 and after a career in the Civil Service he gained a place as a mature student at Edinburgh College of Art in 1999. There he received his BA Honours degree in painting and within his first year was awarded the Heriot Watt University Award for outstanding merit.
In 2005 James was awarded the Peter Potter Gallery Trust Award and was given his first solo exhibition by them the same year. This achievement extended to his having a second show there in 2007. Since then James has exhibited throughout Scotland; including Royal Society of Watercolourists (RSW), Paisley Art Institute (PAI) and the Royal Glasgow Institute of Fine Arts (RGI) Annual Exhibitions. In August 2006 he was elected a professional member of Visual Arts Scotland (VAS). He is also an Ordinary member of Society of Scottish Artists. James has been recently awarded The Glasgow Arts Club prize at the Royal Scottish Academy (RSA) Annual Exhibition 2012.James regularly exhibits throughout Scotland and the UK. His work is now in many private collections. His subject matter is varied and James uses a whole range of materials in his working method; however he regards the aesthetic quality of the finished work paramount.
