About

James Daly is an Australian artist, working in oil paints. He creates contemporary portraits and figurative works that celebrate the expressive potential of the medium itself.

His paintings embrace spontaneity and gestural energy, with visible brushstrokes, scraped surfaces, and areas of thick impasto creating a dynamic interplay between representation and abstraction.

Rather than pursuing photographic representation, James' work leaves room for interpretation. Faces emerge through bold marks and colour decisions, with areas that are intentionally unfinished or disrupted. This approach invites viewers to actively complete the image in their own minds, making each encounter with the work a personal experience.

Working from his studio in Sydney, Australia, and exhibiting internationally, James draws on a limited palette tradition while pushing toward contemporary expressiveness. His paintings capture fleeting moments of human presence, not through meticulous detail, but through the physical act of painting itself. The result is work that feels alive, immediate, and deeply connected to the human touch that created it.

Find out more about the philosophy behind his work and process in this post.

Exhibitions

2026
The Other Art Fair, London, March 5-8th

2009
ARTEXPRESS, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney
ARTEXPRESS, Glasshouse Regional Gallery, Port Macquarie