James Bristow

Working from his studio in Northamptonshire, James Bristow creates handprinted, unique edition screenprints. Mostly abstract, sometimes typographic. Always colourful.

A palette of warm and vibrant colour, shape, pattern, geometry, opacity and texture is at the core of Bristow’s screenprinting. His process is analogue and incorporates experimentation and happenstance; using accident more than design to create bold, one-off prints that contain a harnessed energy and an overarching feeling of positivity and joy.

Bristow started experimenting with screenprinting in 2020 during lockdown, setting up a print workshop in a small space at the back of his studio. Self-taught, his print work has moved from initial experiments with typography and language, to hypnotic, abstract works, exploring the possibilities of overlapping geometric wave patterns and a striking use of colour and opacity.

Inspired by the Seneca quote “We are waves of the same sea”, Waves 11 was selected for the ING Discerning Eye exhibition at the Mall Galleries, London and the series has attracted collectors from the UK to the USA, Tokyo and Australia.