composting series -

Processing the growing pains that comes from loss and change is the center point of the Composting series. James taps into his subconscious to invite other energies into his/their painting process - often familiar faces and energies will develop and suddenly appear in the later stages of the painting.

Fifteen to twenty intention-less layers provides James Emmett with the history to give form to the emotions he can not articulate, and he/they often know the painting is done when the painting tells the story - the full storyline and an end he only becomes aware of when the painting has finished itself.

The subjects are transitory, but the thread of the composting series is, James uses his mother’s ashes - passed in October of 2023, the inception event of this series - in the initial layers of paint. In a sense, painting with his/their mother is immensely gratifying to him.