ABOUT
James Stevens
The pit stop painter.
Welcome
I'm James, hopefully you've had a look around at some of my work and are wondering about the artist behind it.
Pit stops in Motorsport are a fascinating subject for me. No two are ever quite the same. Each captures a perfectly choreographed, split-second moment that can make or break a race, and behind each one is a dedicated team and driver that creates history day in and day out. It is my passion to capture that.
It's easy to forget the work and people behind the scenes, that enable a driver to make those moments and wins a reality. So in my work, I strive to capture the sport in a way not often seen in the art world, that not only celebrates the driver and the car, but also the team and its sponsors.
My first painting of Formula 1 was a piece featuring Lewis Hamilton in the 2021 Mexican GP, titled "Pit Stop", at the time it felt like a very complex and impossible scene, especially when trying to paint it. I remember becoming fixated by the details and chaos of the piece, I live for these details and their intricacy. My favourite part was working on the visors of the pit crew, painting tiny reflections of the grandstand and the world around them. It was this painting that sparked the work I create today.
Surprisingly this wasn't my intended route. I've always had a passion for creating art, but soon after school I was studying to become an airline pilot, unfortunately for me this became a lost aspiration due to some medical reasons at the time.
With all these changes to what I thought would be a career, I picked up the pencil for the first time since my A-level. At first, it was a hobby to keep me occupied whilst job hunting, but It wasn't long before I realised it was something I wanted to pursue as a career.
Nowadays I'm so thankful for any time I get to spend painting, for me it's the best job in the world. I'm also ever so grateful to all those who continue to support my journey, I couldn't do it without every one of them.
Thanks for reading and if you have any questions please don't hesitate to ask,
James
I had the incredible opportunity of Sir Jackie Stewart hand-signing a couple of canvas prints at the Race Against Dementia charity event in Singapore.
I couldn't be happier with their successful auctions, with all proceedings going towards the cause.
I hope to do much more of this in the future and want to give a massive thanks to the team at 1880 in Singapore for making this possible.
