To capture weightlessness, movement and emotion in a single, gestural brushstroke required transgender artist James Nares to reimagine her entire art-making process. In addition to suspending herself above the canvas, Nares also created her own calligraphic brushes and paint, practicing meticulous strokes over and over until finally achieving that perfect swipe.
Dubbed an “action painter” and a “scientific painter,” Nares’ process is the result of years of researching, testing and expanding on her style. Nares moved to New York City in 1974 after studying at the Chelsea College of Art. As she is also a musician, Nares fell into the city’s “no wave” scene — a brief avant-garde music and visual art movement concentrated in downtown Manhattan. The experimentation with noise, and dissonance that became popular among no wave artists likely informed Nares’ art style and fueled her passion for creative experimentation throughout the 1980s.
Nares is represented by the Kasmin Gallery, which has exhibited her work since 1991. The artist’s solo exhibitions include 2014’s “High Speed Drawings” and 2013’s “Road Paint Paintings.” The latter featured works that Nares created with thermoplastic paint — the same type of paint that is used on tarmacs and roads. Her work is part of the collections of the Albright-Knox Gallery in Buffalo, the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Whitney Museum of American Art. The Milwaukee Art Museum staged a retrospective on Nares in 2019.
While primarily known for her artwork, Nares' film projects have been part of solo exhibitions at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and presented at the 2008 Anthology Film Archives in New York and at the New York IFC Center in 2011.
On 1stDibs, find authentic James Nares prints, drawings and paintings.
$15,000
Jamie Nares -Original flower monotype (unique, hand signed) Framed, de-accession
By James Nares
Located in New York, NY
James Nares Untitled flower monotype, 1988 Monotype on hand made paper Pencil signed and dated by James Nares on the lower right front Frame included: floated in the original wood fr...
Handmade Paper, Monotype
Artaud's Arms (Exhibited at Brooklyn Museum)
By James Nares
Located in New York, NY
JAMES NARES Artaud's Arms (Exhibited at Brooklyn Museum), 1988 Color Monotype on Gampi Torinoko Paper 36 × 27 inches Signed James Nares and dated '88 l...
Monotype
$25,000
Fountain
By James Nares
Located in New York, NY
James Nares Fountain, 1987 Monotype on paper Hand signed and dated lower front Unique Frame included Measurements: Framed 41.5 by 34 inches Work 30.25 by 22.25 inches Dazzling Jame...
Monotype
$1,800
H 18.25 in W 24.25 in D 0.75 in
Two Columns by Michael Hurson framed abstract with greco roman pillars on stage
By Michael Hurson
Located in New York, NY
In this unique Michael Hurson monotype, stylized Greco-Roman pillars flank a plane of crosshatched and dotted texture in black, brown, and purple ink. The...
Monoprint, Monotype
$850
H 40 in W 28 in
Beneath the Rainbow, White and Blue, Abstract Geometric Figure, Cyanotype Print
By Kind of Cyan
Located in Barcelona, ES
This handmade cyanotype monotype presents a striking interplay of geometric abstraction and atmospheric depth. Layered translucent forms in deep Prussian blue and soft white overlap ...
Paper, Monotype
$695
H 36 in W 28.75 in D 1.5 in
"Black Nude" Minimal Figurative Black and White Abstract Monotype Print
Located in Houston, TX
Black and white minimal monotype print of an abstracted female torso. The work is signed and titled by the artist in pencil along the front lower margin. Currently hung in a black fr...
Monotype
Nature Morte
By (circle of) Pierre Ambrogiani
Located in Belgrade, MT
This colorful lithograph is part of my private collection. It is a limited edition , 1 print available, signed and numbered 25/150. It is in very good condition. Vibrant and colorful.
Lithograph
$937Sale Price|25% Off
H 22 in W 15.75 in
'White Iris', California Post-Impressionist Landscape, SJSU, Mount Madonna
By John Maxon
Located in Santa Cruz, CA
Signed lower right, "Maxon" for John Maxon (American, 20th century) and created circa 1995. Additionally titled, verso, 'White Flower'. Monotype with additional hand-painted detail. ...
Paper, Gouache, Monotype
Underworld
Located in San Francisco, CA
Paula Valenzuela Underworld, 2025 Alcohol ink and watercolor ink on Yupo paper 14 x 11 inches This one-of-a-kind work on paper comes unframed. External, visible frame and glass in s...
Paper, Ink, Watercolor
Untitled Floral Still Life
Located in Wilton Manors, FL
Beautiful floral still life by American artist Jane Piper (1916-1991) . Pastel, oil crayon and pencil on tracing paper. Image measuring 13 x 15.5 inches in ...
Parchment Paper, Crayon, Pastel, Pencil
Pensando en ti, Marzo 13, Drawing
By Celso José Castro Daza
Located in Miami Beach, FL
Drawing on paper is his basic work tool, some are sketches of his surviving works, others are sketches of moments he documents. Undefined by medium, Celso Castro’s works each carry...
Archival Paper, Watercolor
$625
H 30 in W 22 in
Rainbowland Bluemink - Original Abstract Color Drenched Floral Watercolor Art
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Xiao Wen Xu is a Chinese-born Canadian artist based in Toronto, Canada, Her artistic practice is deeply influenced by her profound appreciation for the natural world. Through a maste...
Paper, Powder Coating, Watercolor
$2,000
H 39.2 in W 28 in D 0.1 in
Recordando el gran artista Alberto Riano "Mangos" Marzo, Drawing
By Celso José Castro Daza
Located in Miami Beach, FL
Drawing on paper is his basic work tool, some are sketches of his surviving works, others are sketches of moments he documents. Undefined by medium, Celso Castro’s works each carry...
Pastel, Acrylic, Paper
$440Sale Price|20% Off
H 5.5 in W 7.5 in
Winnowing Basket (neutral patterned print)
By Angela A'Court
Located in New York, NY
Angela A’Court’s narrative and still life drawings use a simple and direct vocabulary to show the relationship of experience to expression of beauty and the quirkiness of every day moments. With an eye toward balance, the artist moves towards abstraction in "Winnowing Basket...
Mixed Media, Paper, Pastel
$2,430
H 14.25 in W 11.375 in D 1 in
"Cherries, Persimmons, & Pears, " Original Ink Drawing signed by David Barnett
By David Barnett
Located in Milwaukee, WI
"Cherries, Persimmons, & Pears" is an original ink drawing by David Barnett, signed in the lower right corner. The fruits pictured are abstracted to their most basic forms. They are ...
Ink
Starling (From artist book A Bestiary by Bradford Morrow)
By James Nares
Located in Toronto, Ontario
James Nares (b.1953) is famous for his swirling and dynamic abstract creations, that frequently attempt to capture the moments of creation in the artistic process. Arriving in New Y...
Woodcut
Girl About Town
By James Nares
Located in New York, NY
2017, screenprint on heavy white Saunders paper, 28 x 75 inches (or 75 x 28 inches*), edition of 45*This work is signed so that it may be hung horizontally or vertically. James Nar...
Screen
Girl About Town
By James Nares
Located in New York, NY
2017, screenprint, 28 x 75 inches (or 75 x 28 inches*), edition of 45 *This work is signed so that it may be hung horizontally or vertically.
Screen
Early Days
By James Nares
Located in New York, NY
2015, screenprint, 47 x 34 3/4 inches, edition of 48
Screen
Girl About Town
By James Nares
Located in New York, NY
2017, screenprint, 28 x 75 inches (or 75 x 28 inches*), edition of 45 *signed so that it may be hung horizontally or vertically
Screen
I'm Blue
By James Nares
Located in New York, NY
2017, screenprint on Saunders 425 g, 28 x 75 inches (or 75 x 28 inches*), edition of 45 *signed so that it may be hung horizontally or vertically
Screen
Road Paint Print 6
By James Nares
Located in New York, NY
2016, intaglio from polyurethane mold, 46 x 22 inches (116.8 x 55.9 cm), edition of 12 For his Road Paint series, Nares brought a road striping machine into his studio. These tools ...
Intaglio
Go
By James Nares
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: James Nares, British/American (1953 - ) Title: Go Year: 2007 Medium: 10 Color Screenprint on Somerset Paper, signed, dated and numbered in pencil Edition: 38 Paper Size...
Screen
Before the Rain
By James Nares
Located in New York, NY
2015, screenprint, 47 x 34 3/4 inches, edition of 48
Screen
Before the Rain
By James Nares
Located in New York, NY
2015, screenprint, 47 x 34 3/4 inches, edition of 40
Screen
Delete All Gaps
By James Nares
Located in Palm Desert, CA
Oil on linen Signed verso
Linen, Oil
Cosmas
By James Nares
Located in New York, NY
Screenprint, 28 x 75 inches, edition of 38