My artwork represents a celebration of popular culture. I am a painter and print maker; through these mediums I convey a sense of feeling and nostalgia. The concept of the work revolves around imagination: the paintings are in fact giant album covers scaled up to nine times the original size. These are not ordinary album covers — they represent groups that exist only within the painting and the viewers imagination — a musical scene that has yet to be realised, a new sound yet to be discovered. The viewer is persuaded to make a judgement of possible image and style through indicators within the images. Inspiration is drawn from existing album covers and other areas of contemporary society such as advertising, computer graphics, television and painting. Utilising popular motif designs, an image of identity and feeling can be deduced, creating an individual style.

So are they album covers or paintings? This is left for the viewer to decide. Whilst taking the form of the album cover — with neatly folded aluminium mirroring the traditional twelve inch record sleeve — they also have an intriguing surface, brandishing materials such as glitter, glow in the dark emulsion, gloss and acrylic paint. Glass beads and raw pigment are pushed into the surface to create a textural, yet clean effect. The paintings inject playfulness into the imagination and act as a starting point for a conceptual product.

My print making again links to music and embraces the notion of the poster or flyer – using slogans/ group names that are linked to images celebrating the Warholian idea of mass produced art and touching on nostalgia and irony. At times the work can appear camp with the use of pinks and blues scattered with an abundance of glitter. This only seems to broaden the area of discussion and enhance the notion of celebration.

These paintings and prints work as well in a public space as in a gallery, and I have sold paintings previously to the Direct line insurance company and Birmingham city council. I have also sold prints and drawings to the Evans collection in London.

My work has appeared in two previous exhibitions in the UK. A group show in June of 2002 in Birmingham called Deduce, and then again in Leeds (in December of the same year) under the title of Paintings and Prints by James McFarlane. I have also exhibited in Amsterdam, entering work in the Hans Brinker Trophy.


Contact details : Jamiemcf@hotmail.com
                       UK phone: 07977 517278