Jim Starr: Birds of Paradise

London wildlife-inspired Birds of Paradise flock to the Coningsby Gallery this October

Renowned artist, Jim Starr, will be exhibiting his sketches, paintings and prints, inspired by expeditions worldwide and wildlife on the Thames, this October at the Coningsby Gallery for Birds of Paradise.

Twenty works by Starr will be shown, displaying field sketches of Spoonbills, Herons and Eagles, alongside their final incarnations as large-scale canvases.

Starr began painting birds when he was just 13 years old. He has worked as an expedition artist throughout his career, recording through sketches and photography the wildlife he saw on trips to Svalbard, Iceland, the Himalayas and the Rockies.

Through illustration Starr experimented with screen-printing methods, which he now combines with painting to create his own mixed-media hybrid.

Starr’s latest works are developed through the layering of screen-prints and paint repeatedly onto canvas; a method that Starr likens to a ‘remix’. The species are depicted in great detail as a result, surrounded by abstract landscapes of Pop-like colours and subtle textures.

Also featuring in the exhibition will be a collection of Starr’s portraits, which evoke a distinctly Avian influence.

Elements of Abstract Expressionism and Graffiti Art can also be seen in Starr’s paintings. It is certainly difficult to place Starr within just one genre. Despite recently featuring in an Auction alongside works by Banksy and Nick Walker, Starr describes, ‘I’m not an Urban Artist or a Street Artist – I’m more of a ruralist’.

Birds of Paradise – from Monday 12th to Saturday 24th October, 0900 - 1800 Monday to Friday and 1000 - 1700 weekends, Coningsby Gallery, 30 Tottenham Street, London, W1T 4RJ.

Notes to Editors
Jim Starr originally trained at the Chelsea London Institute and Kingston University, before moving to Bristol, UK. He has participated in over 90 exhibitions across the UK, Paris and New York.

Birds of Paradise marks the 10-year anniversary of Starr’s first show in London in 2005 at the Coningsby Gallery, called ‘A Gun For Hire.’ Other notable exhibitions include shows at The Dalston Super-Store, King of Paint and It’s All Too Much in Bristol and ‘Urban Contemporary’ Digard Auctions in Paris.


Press: Abigail Stuart-Menteth, Damson PR, 078 555 26 550 or [email protected]