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
$725
H 40 in W 30 in
Monument in the Fertile Country Oversize print 40x30 inches Limited Edition
By (after) Paul Klee
Located in London, GB
Monument im Fruchtland (Monument in the Fertile Country) 1929. after Paul Klee, 1879 – 1940 Original work : Pastel, 47.5 × 34.8cm. Bern, Zentrum Paul Klee. (Photograph via Archiv...
Archival Pigment
$1,635Sale Price|40% Off
H 8.9 in W 7.37 in
Italian School, Nicolo Grassi, 18th, Worship of Venus, The Venus Sacrifice, Amor
Located in Greven, DE
Italian School, 18th Century, Circle of Grassi, This old master drawing is drawn in the late-Baroque or Rococo style. It depicts a woman worshipping Venus/ preparing a sacrifice for ...
Handmade Paper
$1,346Sale Price|20% Off
H 21.19 in W 15.16 in D 0.04 in
Botanical Studies, Watercolours on Silk on Handmade Paper, Set of Three Tulips.
By La Roche Laffitte
Located in Cotignac, FR
A set of three fine hand painted botanical watercolour studies on silk of tulips by La Roche Laffitte. The works are signed bottom right. Some are titled and numbered (see photos) Th...
Silk, Watercolor, Handmade Paper, Gouache
$420
H 2,840 in W 28 in
Botanical Cyanotype, Blue Flower Bouquet, Large Wild Roses Cyanotype, Watercolor
By Kind of Cyan
Located in Barcelona, ES
This is an exclusive handprinted limited edition cyanotype of a gorgeous blue bouquet. Details: + Title: Blue Flower Bouquet + Year: 2024 + Edition Size: 100 + Medium: Acrylic Pain...
Emulsion, Watercolor, Photographic Paper, Monoprint, Monotype
$972
H 21.26 in W 15.56 in D 0.04 in
Botanical Studies, Pair of Watercolours on Silk on Handmade Paper, Anemones
Located in Cotignac, FR
A pair of fine hand painted botanical watercolour studies on silk of anemones by La Roche Laffitte. The works are signed bottom right. Both are titled. The silk has been mounted on h...
Silk, Watercolor, Handmade Paper, Gouache
$2,800
H 18 in W 18 in D 2 in
Amaryllis, Flower Painting, Bold Red Botanical Artwork, 16 x 16 Inches, Framed
By Elisabeth Condon
Located in New York, NY
Elisabeth Condon’s Memorial Flowers series reimagines the still life as a meditation on memory, impermanence, and renewal. Using gouache and ink, she stages vibrant floral arrangemen...
Ink, Gouache, Handmade Paper
$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
$600
H 12 in W 18 in D 0.05 in
Ghosts of Philadelphia 3, dramatic black & white narrative
By Tom Bennett
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Monotype Dramatic imagery from Tom Bennett’s series of black and white monotypes, blending surrealistic mindscapes with stark realism About Tom Bennett: With quick brushstrokes, Tom...
Monotype, Archival Ink, Archival Paper
Giardino di Rose
Located in Mokena, IL
Giardino di Rose, 2022 Ink on Toned Paper with Frame, 12.25 x 15.25 inches Transporting the viewer to Florence’s sun-lit rose garden, Justas Varpucanskis...
Ink, Handmade Paper
$1,500
H 13.25 in W 40 in D 0.94 in
Richard Parker - The Aquatic Life at Sea / Life of Pi
By Adrienne Sherman
Located in Burlingame, CA
Bengal Tiger watercolor inspired by the novel The Life of Pi's, whose main character, Richard Parker — the tiger who is the epitome of beauty, power, an...
Watercolor, Handmade Paper
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