Artist Spotlight – Layers of a Life: The Portraits of James Stickland
- Glenda Brown
- Mar 1
- 5 min read
This month, we're proud to feature local portrait artist James Stickland, a fine artist whose expressive oil paintings are rich with story, subtlety and character.
A Creative Spark Reignited
James’ journey into professional art began eight years ago, though creativity had always quietly travelled alongside him. For 19 years he ran his sign business, Saber Signs, while raising two children and building a happy life. Still, something felt incomplete.
That shift came unexpectedly during a holiday visit to the Tweed Regional Gallery, where he encountered the permanent exhibition of Margaret Olley. The quality and diversity of the work struck him deeply.
He remembers thinking, “I truly believed I could do the same.”
Back home on the Sunshine Coast, he enrolled in art classes, attended masterclasses and devoted hundreds of hours to learning. His school years in Narromine, NSW, had given him a grounding in advanced art, though exposure to different mediums was limited. A major flood in 1990 influenced his Year 12 body of work, a six-piece felt-tip series depicting the disaster, which received high marks.
He also recalls a regional creative arts camp in Year 10 as a formative experience. Being surrounded by other creatives brought a sense of belonging that he now feels again at his fortnightly artist meetups. “Hanging with other creatives gives such a positive feeling,” he says.
Style in Motion
James works primarily in oils and describes himself as a fine artist with foundations in realism. In the early years, his goal was simple: prove to himself that he could paint.
Over time, his style has loosened. He now finds himself drawn to bold, character-filled brushstrokes that bring life and movement to a portrait. What once may have felt accidental has become something he actively embraces. The process itself has become just as important as the finished work.
From Coffee to Canvas
“My style is different for each portrait, depending on who I’m painting,” he says. “I like to catch up over coffee first and find out who they really are.” After that comes a quick photo shoot for reference, then time to think. He often lets the idea sit for a week or two, sketching composition studies until the direction becomes clear in his mind.
Even then, he admits the painting usually evolves along the way.
“More often than not, the end result changes during the process.”
He points to his portrait of Maas and Miek, a mother and daughter duo who run pottery studios in Brisbane. Inspired by the glazing techniques in their ceramics, he began the work with multiple layers of glazed oils, eventually bringing their figures forward through those translucent layers.
Every portrait, he says, contains something personal to the sitter. There is always a secondary story embedded in the work, something not meant to be noticed immediately. He wants viewers to discover it slowly.
Timeframes vary. Some pieces take six months, especially while balancing full-time work and allowing oil layers to dry properly. Others come together in just two days. “It really comes down to knowing when it feels right.”
And when it doesn’t?
Some paintings are sent to what he calls the “naughty corner” until clarity strikes and he knows exactly what needs to change.
The Medium Matters
Oils remain his favourite medium for their versatility. “Once you learn the rules of oils, you can bend them in any way to suit your desired style,” he says.
Interestingly, a medium he once disliked has become a favourite. Charcoal, which felt messy and frustrating in school, now represents freedom of expression.
One technical lesson stands above the rest: fat over lean. Keeping each successive layer equal or richer in oil prevents cracking and ensures archival longevity. It is, he says, the one rule to remember.
Milestones and Momentum
A defining early moment came when his first portrait sold for $5,000 to a collector. “Driving home from the exhibition, I had sore cheeks from smiling,” he recalls. It was validation not only artistically, but personally.
Since then, his achievements have included winning the Brisbane Rotary Art Prize, valued at $15,000, and becoming a six-time national finalist in major portrait prizes across Brisbane, Perth, Sydney, Townsville and the Doug Moran. He also received a Highly Commended award from an ARC International competition of 5,400 entries and was awarded a scholarship to attend the Portrait Society of America conference in Washington DC in 2025.
A solo exhibition, Chronicles of the Coast, awarded by the Sunshine Coast Council in 2024, marked another highlight. He has delivered artist talks at the Royal Queensland Art Society and at Brisbane’s Birrunga Gallery for an exhibition showcasing artists aspiring to become finalists in the Archibald Prize.
One prize still eludes him: selection as an Archibald finalist. This year marks his seventh attempt, with a portrait of Marshall Hamburger, last year’s winner of Australian Idol.
Lessons Learned the Hard Way
One significant challenge reshaped his professional practice. After completing a commissioned portrait based on a photographer’s image, he received verbal permission to use it. The painting was selected as a finalist in the Queensland Figurative Award. However, without written permission, the work had to be withdrawn when the photographer threatened legal action.
It was frustrating, but clarifying. Since then, James takes all his own reference photographs.
Growth, he believes, comes from stepping beyond comfort zones. He has applied for ABC’s Portrait Artist of the Year and has already completed a Zoom interview. Painting a portrait in four hours is demanding. Doing it live on national television would be, in his words, “insane.” Still, he is drawn to the challenge.
Motivation and Meaning
Motivation can be elusive at the start of a painting. “I find it so hard to start when I don’t have a reason,” he admits. Yet once he begins, he is fully immersed, often missing lunch and letting coffee go cold.
Deadlines and challenges fuel him. Pressure brings clarity.
Above all, he wants viewers to engage with his portraits without explanation. He hopes they search for clues, uncover the sitter’s story and look beyond the surface. Each painting invites quiet discovery.
A New Chapter in the Whitsundays
After relocating to the Whitsundays six months ago, James focused on completing his new studio, a 12 x 7.5 metre gallery and working space, now open to the public by appointment. The studio was finished just one week ago.
His plans include creating more portraits and local landscapes, with a strong interest in painting from life. Life models are on the horizon.
Advice to Emerging Artists
His advice is simple and direct.
"Paint, paint, paint! All the YouTube tutorials and googling will only get you so far, the quickest way to succeed is by placing that brush to canvas. Paint your dog, paint a family member, paint the sky, just paint! Your inner personality will emerge through your artwork. It's funny how in a life model class where you have 12 artists all paint the same model how they all have their own personality generally showing the artists characteristics too!
In oils the one rule you need to learn is "fat over lean" keep your next layers the same or richer in oil than the previous layer. This prevents future cracking for archival preservation. That's it! Now go and create you beautiful artists!"
The rest, as his journey shows, unfolds brushstroke by brushstroke.
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