
Artist Statement
My work is a loose, expressive form of geometric abstraction, made using silkscreen printmaking.
A love of vibrant colour and off-kilter repetition has been part of me since childhood, but in an ever-more artificial and filtered world, seeing and feeling the hand of the maker seems more important than ever. Whether on paper and canvas or experimenting with tulle and chiffon, with every pull of the squeegee I’m looking to capture moments of energy, eschewing design and perfection for a looseness and spontaneity.
Being ‘over-sensitive’ with a 'heightened sensitivity to injustice’ means that inequality and division doesn’t sit well with me. My work addresses this boldly, celebrating unity in difference, presenting a more joyful and optimistic vision. The Seneca phrase “we are waves of the same sea” chimes loudly, informing a recurring theme and motif.
Minimal in form and generous in their use of colour, I’m aiming for a physicality from looking at my prints, for people to feel the motion and visual energy. It’s work to be experienced rather than explained, and rewards repeated viewing. But don’t take my word for it, see for yourself at a studio visit.
Bio
Working from Beanwave, his studio in rural Northamptonshire, James Bristow (b. 1973) is a graphic designer and contemporary British artist. His practice centres on geometric abstraction developed through silkscreen printmaking, where repetition, overlay, and chance operate as structuring forces.
His work has been selected for various group exhibitions in the past three years, including at: MK Gallery, Woolwich Contemporary Print Fair, Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers, The Royal Cambrian Academy of Art and New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts; and was selected by Aindrea Emelife for The Discerning Eye 2022.
In 2025 he was awarded a CVAN EM development bursary, and has been shortlisted for the 2026 John Ruskin Prize and 2025 Jackson’s Art Prize. Bristow’s practice has been featured in the publications Pressing Matters (issue 17) and Uppercase (issue 56).
Work has been purchased by private collectors in the UK, Tokyo, Dubai and the United States.
Selected Group Exhibitions
Currently showing
to 14 June: Contemporary Printmaking Prize Exhibition - Fen Ditton Gallery, Cambridge, UK
2026
John Ruskin Prize Exhibition, London
Artistic Intelligence - Fitzrovia Gallery, London
2025
Woolwich Contemporary Print Fair, London
The Assembly House Summer Exhibition, Norwich, UK
2024
MK Calling, MK Gallery, Milton Keynes, UK
Small & Mighty, Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers, London
Fiesta!, Inky Fingers, London
The Royal Cambrian Academy of Art Open, Conwy, UK
2023
Home, The Department Store, Brixton, London
Amplify, New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts, NZ
Fifteen, Northampton Museum & Gallery, UK
Rugby Open, Rugby Art Gallery, UK
Heseltine Open, Oxfordshire, UK
L’Atelier11, Towcester, UK
2022
ING Discerning Eye, Mall Galleries, London
Northants Open Exhibition, Lamport Hall, UK

