The paintings of Jim Harris (born 1968 in London, UK) evidence an immediacy partly constructed by his Impressionistic habit of painting en plein air. Harris never paints from memory, nor from photographs: he needs reality, the shifting light, its effect on his various materials.

Once he has conceived of a fascination for a particular spot, he will cling to a related theme for quite some time afterwards, making considered choices all the while: he keeps changing his vantage point, elevation, angle or framing. The spot itself, the clamour around it, the bustle on the street — the artist needs all this to obtain his dynamic painting. The subject itself is of secondary importance: it might be an Amsterdam street or alleyway, a Brooklyn office building, a lone delivery bike, or a tree’s foliage backlit by the sun.