Aurelia specialises in commissioned portrait painting in a traditional style capturing, not only the likeness, but also the essence of the person. She works fast with quick, fresh brush strokes but she can also paint in extreme detail if required. The paintings are in oils on Belgian linen with hand made gilded or washed frames. One cannot capture the colour of skin, eyes or hair of the person being painted from a photograph. A photograph can only give you a good likeness but not the soul.

Landscapes are painted from photographs. Aurelia travels extensively and paints only from her own reference where her last journey has been.

Aurelia offers the facility to travel to client's farms or game farms to photograph these and paint their favourite vistas on commission.

Aurelia has previously exhibited David Brown Fine Art in Sandton and more recently at InToto Gallery in Birdhaven as part of an exhibition referencing an initiative from the Centre Pompidou where the art collection was rehung in order to place emphasis on female artists.

This painting is of Christina with my canvas right next to her.

Aurelia will be exhibiting at InToto Gallery from the

2nd to the 27th of October 2014

The world is full of painters and people who can draw very well, but only a few can be called artists. An artist is someone who can capture the true essence of beauty and then simply portray it on a piece of paper with a pencil or paint brush. Aurelia James is such a person. Her work is of beauty and innocence. She works fast, with ease and attention to detail.

Oils paintings are beautiful and are used by many artists all over the world. Oil is still the most versatile paint medium to date, because of its range of textures and colours. Oil paint takes about three days to dry, the great advantage about this is you have the time to refine and adjust what you paint before it dries. After the painting is thoroughly dry (3-6months) varnish can be applied to protect the painting.

Painted portraits have a way of bringing everything to life. But not only can portraits be painted they can also be made from wood, marble and bronze. Aurelia James has the skills and talent of showing the inner essence of her subjects, that is why her work is great for remembrance of a loved or lost one. Portrait painters are one of a kind, they see the world in beautiful bright colours and then portray it in their art.

Her passion graces art galleries all over the world. In Australia, Italy and Switzerland. There is an innocent, honest and wise quality to her work, which has won over the hearts of many. Her work will remain for many years to come, because of its awesome splendour and beauty.