Art on a Postcard x St Wilfrid's Hospice: The Paintings and Ceramics

About 

James T.A. Osborne (1907-1979) was born at Ninfield, Sussex in 1907 and spent his youth watching and sketching wildlife of every kind in the countryside surrounding his parents’ farm. James studied at Hastings School of Art and then won a scholarship to the Royal College of Art, where he went on to gain the Prix de Rome Scholarship in Engraving.  

In 1946 James was elected an A.R.E (a member of the Royal Society of Etchers and Engravers, now called the Painter-Printmakers) and elected a fellow (R.E) in 1957. He exhibited regularly with the society. His works were exhibited at the Royal Academy Summer Shows twenty-four times between 1936 and 1970. He was one of the founders of the Society of Wildlife Artists. James's work is held in many public collections including the V & A Museum, London and The Ashmolean, Oxford.  

James’s works are a combination of colour wood engravings, linocuts and silk screens prints, illustrating a range of wildlife, with a special emphasis towards birds. They are bold, interpretive and large scale, rich in colour and detail. Throughout his career, James constantly experimented with all forms of print and paper and his editions never exceeded thirty. The large woodcuts and linocuts are in direct contrast with the small delicate black and white wood engravings of his earlier works. 

Select Exhibitions/Awards 

In addition to the Royal Academy and RWS Galleries in London, exhibitions of James’s work have been held at Reading Museum & Art Gallery (1960), Barton Art Gallery, Tenterden (1986 in association with the World Wildlife Fund) Guild Gallery, London (1987) University of Wales, Aberystwyth (1987) Victoria Art Gallery, Bath (1988) Jane Haler Gallery (1988), Darling Harbour Expo, Sydney Australia (1988) The Burton Art Gallery Bideford, Devon (2014) and Nature in Art (2016). 

James’s prints are held in major public collections including The Ashmolean, Oxford, The Victoria and Albert Museum, London, University of Wales Aberystwyth and The Cuming Museum, London. 

Gallery Representation 

Emma Mason Gallery. This print has been generously donated by Emma Mason Gallery. For more information about Emma Mason, please visit their website and Instagram. 

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