<p><span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: windowtext; FONT-FAMILY: Garamond">James Gillick, who lives and works in <city st="on">Lincolnshire</city>, was born in <place st="on"><city st="on">Norfolk</city>, <country-region st="on">England</country-region></place> in 1972 and is from a long line of artists and artisans. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>After graduating with a degree in Landscape Architecture from <place st="on">Cheltenham</place> and Gloucester College James spent 2 years working alone in order to understand and perfect the techniques of painting</span><span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Garamond"><font color="#333333"> </font></span><span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: windowtext; FONT-FAMILY: Garamond">light.</span><span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Garamond"><font color="#333333"> </font></span><span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: windowtext; FONT-FAMILY: Garamond">He also acquired the skills that are now vital to his work: to make all his stretchers, canvasses, panels, oils, glues, waxes, varnishes and paints by hand using techniques, some of which date back to the eighteenth century.
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<p><span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: windowtext; FONT-FAMILY: Garamond"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>At 26 James won a commission to paint Rt. Honourable Margaret Thatcher and in 2004 he had the very great privilege of a commission to paint a portrait of His Holiness Pope John Paul II.<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"> </b>In addition to portraits James produces still lifes, including game paintings, horse paintings and religious works for church restorations. Each picture represents the coming together of a complete and exacting set of physical and intellectual demands. James believes that, ‘fine painting as an activity goes towards re-establishing the artist and viewer as dignified creatures in harmony with a beautiful world.’
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<p class="MsoPlainText" style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><a href="http://www.gillick-artist.com/"><font face="Consolas" size="3">http://www.gillick-artist.com/</font></a></p></span></p></span></p>