James Horton MA (RCA) Past President Royal Society of British Artists, is a Cambridge based professional Painter.
A constant theme in his work is working from life, whether portrait, landscape or interiors. Much of what he does centres around travelling and working on location.
Anything that is produced on the spot is rarely adjusted back in the studio, preserving the essence of a time and a place. However, very often work made direct from life will provide the basis for producing larger scale paintings done in the studio.
Apart from his own books, James has written numerous articles for a variety of magazines and his work is also featured in many other books and articles. As a teacher he taught part-time in several different art schools until 1990 and now has occasional classes in his studio along the lines of the old atelier system where students can study with a working painter.
Currently he works a great deal in India and since 2000 he has been taking groups to India and also accompanies painting groups to other locations that include Tuscany, Venice, North Africa and Jordan. James has always been an active portrait painter but believes, like John Singer Sargent, that to be a good portrait painter one should produce a variety of work made from life.