James Cochran (artist)

James Cochran (aka Jimmy. C), born June 4 1973, is an Australian artist best known for his urban narrative paintings and for his drip painting style.

Self Portrait 2005, Acrylic Lacquer on canvas

Self Portrait 2005, Acrylic Lacquer on canvas

Aerosol Art and early career

In the late 1980’s Cochran contributed to the development of the graffiti scene in Adelaide and went on to paint a range of mural commissions throughout South Australia. He also coordinated a number of community arts projects aimed at giving aerosol art a broader acceptance in the community and to teach painting techniques to adolescents interested in the art form. In the 1990’s he adopted the alias Jimmy. C and become well known for his aerosol art murals and his work in city and regional communities across Australia.

Artistic development

After completing his arts degree in 1997 and then his Masters of Visual Arts at the University of South Australia in 2002, Cochran became known for his urban realist narrative paintings, painted in oil paint, and often depicting the marginalized human subject in the context of the urban environment. He sometimes used religious or mythological allegories to illustrate the existential or spiritual plight of the contemporary subject in the city.

In 2004 he exhibited the Aerosol Pointillist Series, which lead to the development of the Drip Paintings – urban and figurative representations constructed of individual blobs of dripping paint.

French Connection

Through extensive travels to Europe Cochran gained a sensibility to the culture of France and went on to study the language to become a fluent French speaker. In 2006 he was invited by the French writer and critic Antoine Pecquet to introduce his paintings to the French public. An exhibition showing a 10 year development of Cochran’s work took place in Lille, at Tripostal, and continued on to Paris at the Point Ephemere. During the exhibition in Lille, Cochran coordinated two community arts mural projects with youth from Lille South and from the quarter Vaubain. Cochran lived in Paris in 2006 and continued to paint canvases and walls during the period.

Other exhibitions

Cochran is represented by Lindberg Contemporary Art in Melbourne where he exhibited his paintings in 2008. In the same year he was selected as a finalist in the Archibald Prize for his portrait of Sydney fashion designer Akira Isogawa. In 2009 Cochran is currently exhibiting his paintings in Zhengzhou and Beijing in China, and will hold a solo exhibition in Melbourne at Lindberg Contemporary Art.