Jim Farrant

Jim Farrant: Popular Figurative & Realist Artist

Born in Taunton 1972, Jim Farrant still lives in Somerset and is the son of the lauded artist David Farrant and has established himself as a leading figurative-realist artist.

His artistic backstory is full of flavour & he considers himself ‘self-taught’. Having attended the renowned Portsmouth College of Art (1960-95) for just one semester, he decided to leave and begin lengthy travels that took him to the USA, Australia and as far as India. On finishing and arriving back in London, he returned to painting to see if he could make a career from the easel & by 2002 he was a full time artist.

Inspiration

Jim is inspired by the American realist school & the abstract expressionism movement, such as the works of the late greats Willem de Kooning (1904-97) & Richard Diebenkorn (1922-93) - unsurprising his early work was abstract!

In the early 2000s he had sell-out one man shows in London (2003) & Devon (2005) & by the time of Devon event he had settled on his more ‘realistic’ painting style.

Jim On Realism

"I want my paintings to be realistic but with an energy and freedom of execution.

I feel the element of realism in my painting is crucial in terms of describing my subject matter with honesty - to me, this is simple, figurative painting. I choose to paint scenes of contemporary life, depicting people in everyday situations and environments."

What He Likes To Paint

"I find human beings fascinating and am constantly interested by the diversity they provide. I love to people watch.

A bustling town centre or a sun-kissed piazza will give me lots of reference, the colour of peoples' clothing, their hairstyles and above all the endless subtleties of body language and posture.

My paintings focus mainly on women - they are more at ease with their bodies and I find them fascinating to paint and I hope that I achieve this with a fair degree of honesty."

Painting Process

"The painting process always begins with a photograph. From a substantial collection of digital images, I will make a composite picture. I could for example have a street scene containing interesting figures and backgrounds that have been taken from a number of different situations – this allows me to create a definite composition which I sketch on to a panel and then the painting begins.

I like to focus on contemporary human settings and environments and the way body language brings mood and narrative to a painting without being too obvious. Colour and its tonal qualities are extremely important to me."

Jim is a very popular artist, widely collected in the UK & sold through prestigious galleries, as well as UK & international art fairs.