James Kerr is a contemporary British artist known for his abstract paintings. Although not formally trained, he has built a reputation for creating bold, colourful, and textured abstract works.
His paintings often feature thick layers of impastoed paint, with a focus on abstracted shapes and blocks of colour that may resemble everyday items or simplified landscapes. Kerr cites influences from 20th-century modernists, particularly British artists like William Scott, Patrick Heron, and Roger Hilton, as well as French Fauvists and American Expressionists like Rothko and De Kooning.
Kerr began his career as a decorative painter in the 1980s, working with London’s leading interior designers under the partnership Kerr & Erskine. This experience shaped his understanding of colour, paint, and materials, which he later applied to his abstract art.
Kerr often references a quote by Ralph Steadman: "The paint itself is also an object – it is subject to its own motivation, rules and dynamic which the artist must overcome, ignore or amplify." This reflects his approach to painting as a journey of exploration and resolution.
