James Warman - Projects
Shrewsbury Art Trail (2026)
As part of the 2026 Shrewsbury Art Trail, I exhibited a piece called Impressions of Manchester 1 at Shrewsbury Museum & Art Gallery. The work forms part of my ongoing Photographic Impressionism practice, which explores how photography can communicate the atmosphere and emotional character of a place rather than simply record its appearance.
The exhibition provided an opportunity to present this more experimental side of my practice within a public gallery setting, alongside the work of other artists participating in the Art Trail. It was particularly rewarding, therefore, that Impressions of Manchester 1 found a buyer during the exhibition.
For me, the sale represents more than simply the purchase of a photograph. Photographic Impressionism is a deeply personal and increasingly important part of my creative practice, and putting work like this into the world inevitably carries a degree of vulnerability. Having someone respond strongly enough to the work to want to live with it is an enormously rewarding form of validation.
The sale has given me further confidence to continue developing this approach and exploring where photography can sit between representation, abstraction and painting.
Most importantly, it is a reminder that there is an audience for work created from instinct, experimentation and a desire to express something rather than simply document it.
Impressions of Manchester 1 has now gone to a new home, and I am genuinely delighted that someone saw something in the image that made them want to own it.
Photography Now! brought together twenty-one photographers working across a broad range of photographic styles and approaches, celebrating the diversity of contemporary photography without imposing a single curatorial theme. As part of the exhibition, I presented four photographic impressionist works created from street scenes in Shrewsbury and Manchester.
These images form part of an ongoing body of work that explores the relationship between photography and memory. Using intentional camera movement, familiar streets are transformed into expressive studies of colour, light and movement. Buildings dissolve into shape, figures become fleeting traces, and the energy of a place takes precedence over literal description.
Rather than documenting a location exactly as it appears, the work seeks to communicate how it feels to experience it. The resulting images sit somewhere between photography and painting, inviting viewers to respond emotionally as much as visually. They reflect my continuing interest in photographic impressionism as a way of interpreting the world rather than simply recording it.
Exhibiting this work in Photography Now! provided an opportunity to present this evolving practice alongside a diverse group of contemporary photographers, contributing to a wider conversation about the many ways photography can be used to observe, interpret and express the world around us.
Photographic Impressionism (Ongoing)
Photographic Impressionism is James’ continuing exploration of abstraction through photography.
Using intentional camera movement, long exposures and in-camera techniques, familiar scenes are transformed into expressive studies of colour, texture, shape, tone, atmosphere and movement. Rather than recording a literal representation of a place, the work seeks to communicate emotional response, memory and experience. This approach was inspired by the paintings of the French Impressionists and is an attempt to blur the line between painting and photography.
This body of work has been exhibited widely, including in A Meeting Place, a two-person exhibition with celebrated Shropshire artist Jane Beesley, and as a permanent exhibition at Shropshire Supports Refugees.
She Thinks You’re My Son (2024)
Created for the exhibition Representations of Time, this nine-image photographic montage explores memory, recognition and dementia.
Using a childhood school photograph that once sat beside his mother’s bed in her care home, James progressively deconstructed the image to reflect the gradual erosion of recognition caused by dementia. The title comes from the words spoken by his mother during one visit:
“She thinks you’re my son.”
The work became both a personal response to loss and a broader reflection on memory, identity and the emotional impact of dementia.
Backstage Pass (2023)
Backstage Pass was a culmination of James’ live music photography work at the time and explores the relationship between musicians, audiences and live performance.
Drawing on many years photographing concerts and festivals, the project goes beyond performance photography to capture the atmosphere, anticipation and emotion that define live music. It formed the basis of James’ third solo exhibition at Shrewsbury Coffeehouse.
The Redundant Suit (2020)
Created during the COVID-19 pandemic, The Redundant Suit is a conceptual self-portrait reflecting on isolation, adaptation and the changing nature of everyday life.
The title reflects the my personal experience of having to work from home and the effective redundancy of my work-suit. The concept is also a symbol of familiar routines and identities that disappeared as home and workplace became one. The work considers how our sense of self is shaped by the rituals of everyday life and how those rituals were transformed during the pandemic.
The photograph was included in ‘Artists Responding To’ exhibit in London as part of their ‘Postcard Project’ and was also reproduced in the accompanying publication.
Hands, Head & Heart (2018 & 2021)
Hands, Head & Heart is a long-term documentary portrait project exploring the lives, creative practices and working environments of artists across Shropshire.
Inspired by the quotation:
“A labourer works with their hands. A craftsman works with their hands and head. An artist works with their hands, head and heart.”
James photographed each artist within their own creative space and asked every participant the same series of questions. This consistent approach created a body of work that explored not only artistic practice, but also the motivations, inspirations and personal philosophies that shape creative lives.
The project resulted in a self-published photobook combining environmental portraiture with the artists’ own words, creating a lasting record of Shropshire’s contemporary artistic community.
Three years later, James revisited the project to discover how artists had managed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hands, Head & Heart – Part II documented the resilience, adaptation and renewed creativity of artists working through an extraordinary period of uncertainty. Although no accompanying publication was produced, the project formed an important continuation of the original series and expanded its exploration of creativity, place and artistic identity.
James’ first major photographic project, Origins, explored the landscapes walked by Charles Darwin during his childhood in Shrewsbury over the course of a year.
Through a series of photographic collages, the work combined landscape, history and imagination to consider how place shapes identity and memory. The project formed James’ debut solo exhibition at the Shropshire Wildlife Centre and marked the beginning of my career.