HI! STEVE JAMES IS THE NAME BEHIND THE MOONPOND PROJECT, AN INTERDISCIPLINARY ART PRACTISE WHERE I employ experimental techniques to produce novel aesthetics within a collection of MEDIUMS AND streams.

WITHIN PAINTWORK, I borrow elements from figurative surrealism, WHILE LEVERAGING NATURAL ABSTRACT MOVEMENT. focus on the immediate felt presence of the work, inviting familiar ideas through abstractions and gestural spontaneity.

Painting is both a tool for self-reflection and a means of connection with external.
So naturally, it has played an integral role in my life as a vehicle to communicate complex ideas and feelings.

A colourist at heart, I employ experimental techniques to produce striking imagery within a collection of expressive streams.

borrowing elements from figurative surrealism, i maintain focus on the immediate felt presence of the work, inviting familiar ideas through abstractions and gestural spontaneity.

  • colour alchemy refers to the intention and effect of involving specific colours in your life.


    The colours that you react to are unique to you. They may also change over time and through experience.

    Apart from using colour to direct energy and amplify intention, we can also learn much about ourselves. Colours associate with memories for many of us, often so closely linked that we barely notice it’s influence in daily living.


    Mapping out this territory is essential for me to be able to provide a piece with lasting beauty for you.

the moonpond painting style can be best described as…

‘ruthless play’

  • Steven uses an intuitive and often martial style of painting. Using

    Carefully selected pigments of fine acrylic and pastels are built into many layers on top of canvas or 300GSM paper


    Before each layer dries, he removes parts of his application with various tools. Playing with the drying times of different mediums has been a part of his practise for many years, and he continues to create new ways of achieving exciting textures.


    If the layer does not need any subtraction, he blow dries it to continue on.
    He paints fast and with vigor, as most sessions begin only after days of considering the next steps. Compromise after compromise, often pivoting completely, but usually landing somewhere Steven can feel in his heart.

    His work on paper will see a more meticulous approach, playing with the increased contrast and a lower need for paint-per layer.

    Works on canvas are usually more involved, building hundreds of layers over a long time to create effervescent textures that feel alive.

    It is because erasing is such a key component that Steven can remain playful throughout painting. His methods of reworking and protecting successful brushstrokes have been refined over 10 years of work.

  • The impact of visual communication through paint can embody many ideas at once, while lasting lifetimes.

    Or perhaps it could have no meaning at all, and still be captivating.


    The moment of stillness with yourself as you browse the components of an image, watching yourself process the visual field..

    I find those moments often ripe with access to inner-wisdom as we observe how we observe.

    Participating in the tradition of painting helps us attune to ourselves and the culture we are embedded within.


    As the artist, it is my goal and duty to know my body deeply, from the way my hands work to the nature of the paint, in order to bestow a moment upon the viewer that could be of some use to them.

Painting is both a tool for self-reflection and a means of connection with external.
So naturally, it has played an integral role in my life as a vehicle to communicate complex ideas and feelings.

With multiple perspectives available in my work, I want to reflect the modular nature of each moment; emphasising our ability to find peace in the noise.