James Stickland.
A country boy at heart. Brought up in a small rural town, Narromine, NSW, Australia. Where you created your own fun. Isolated in the middle of the country life. No problems, imagination was my creation to discovery. Through the simplest of art mediums I created with a felt tip pen and coloured pencils. My school was lucky to have 300 students throughout all years, my art tuition …basics. Time is the main ingredient for all my practices improvements and back then it was abundant.
Life took its turn for me to mature, gaining a 4 year Signwriting certificate, some adventures overseas, achieving a black belt in Shotokan Karate, meeting my soul mate and wife Louise and bringing my best artworks of all , a son Jesse and daughter Katie into our crazy world.
Self Employed with 2 Sign Shops, Signvision in Dubbo then Saber Signs on the Sunshine Coast over 30 years kept me busy. With my kids both in their early adulthood, 2019 was my time to find what made me who I am. The discovery of oil paints, now that’s where I belonged, my passion was found and still burning strong today.
Education
2019 Sunshine Coast Art and Imagination School
2019 Robyn Shaw Life Drawing Caloundra Gallery
2019 Victoria Reichelt Masterclass in oils Noosa Gallery
2019 Art of Phi Studio and Gallery Life Drawing
2019 Bathurst NSW Artscene School of Arts 1 week Sally Ryan, Portrait Masterclass oil
2019 Symposium Brisbane Portrait Prize, Symposium Floating Lands Noosa
2020 Jessica LeClerc 4 day portraiture workshop
2020 Lyn Diefenbach 3 day Portraiture workshop
2020 Marcel Desbians Water Reflections workshop
2022 Andrew Bonneau 3 day Portrait workshop
Exhibitions
2019 Group Exhibition, Sunshine Coast Art & Imagination exhibition
2019 Group Exhibition, Cooroy Butter Factory Eclectica Art Prize
2020 Sunshine Coast Local Artist Local Content
2020 Group Exhibition, RedInkRodeo International Womens Day Exhibition
2020 Solo Exhibition, Wardle Partners, Otranto Ave, Caloundra
2021 Group Exhibition, Did U Know Exhibition, Cooroy Butter Factory Arts Centre
2021 Group Exhibition, Yandina Art & Framing
2022 Solo Exhibition Sunshine Coast Council Artspace
Awards
2019 Kenilworth Arts Council, Jean Glanvill Emerging Artist Award
2019 People's Choice Award, Cooroy Butterfactory Eclectica Arts Prize
2019 Finalist Sunshine Coast Local Art Prize
2020 People's Choice Award, Cooroy Butterfactory Eclectica Arts Prize
2020 People's Choice Award, RedInkRodeo IWD exhibition
2020 Finalist The Percivals Portrait Prize, Townsville
2020 Finalist The Lethbridge 20000 Small Scale Art Award
2020 Finalist The Royal Qld Figurative Prize
2020 Finalist Brisbane Portrait Prize Salon des Refuses
2021 Finalist Sunshine Coast Local Art Prize
2021 People's Choice award, Cooroy Butterfactory Eclectica Arts Prize
2021 Finalist The Lester Prize, Perth
2021 Brisbane Portrait Prize Finalist
2021 Finalist Portrait Society of AMERICA "non commisioned portrait"
2021 Finalist Portrait Society of AMERICA "Animals as the subject"
2022 Finalist Sunshine Coast Local Art Prize
2022 Finalist Townsville Percivals Portrait Prize
2022 Finalist The Lethbridge 20000 Small Scale Art Award
2022 Finalist Du Rietz Art Prize
2022 Finalist The Royal Qld Figurative Prize
2022 Semi Finalist ARC International Salon
2022 WINNER Kenilworth Arts Award $5000
2022 FINALIST ARC International Salon (5400 entries, 75 countries)
2022 Triple Semi Finalist Doug Moran Portrait Prize
2023 Australian Art Edit Magazine Emerging Artist Judges Commendation Award
Collections
Private Collections across Australia , United Kingdom and Portugal