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The Sheffield culture guide written by in-the-know locals

James Green

It started with a flock of pigeons. Then came the donkeys, dinosaurs and gambolling lambs.

We’ve been smitten with the work of Sheffield printmaker James Green for a good while now. His bold rooftop views of the city show our fabled hills in rich colourful splendour.

Our favourite pieces are the series of donkey prints, which combine storytelling and empathy with each cut… from the sadness of Little Grey Donkey to the folly of Red Donkey Regrets the Adventure.

How would you describe your work?
Linocut prints. My work is fairly bold, I guess. I do like the limitations that linocut printing dictates. You can’t really be subtle, so have to make interesting compositional decisions.

What inspires you?
Currently donkeys, urban and coastal landscapes, cats and a variety of other random things that catch my eye. As far as other creative people are concerned I love the work of artists like Max Beckmann and Egon Schiele, but a lot of the time it isn’t artists that inspire me, but other creative forms. I’m a big fan of film-makers like Mike Leigh and Werner Herzog and the music of Erik Satie and the pop group Villagers; anything that makes me think/laugh/cry in equal measure.

What’s your workspace like?
I work from my house. I have two workspaces, one for printing/lino-cutting, and the other for admin and storing my work. The former is usually quite tidy, and the latter usually a bit of a mess.

What do you love about Sheffield?
The views! I love finding a new view to work on. Its like a puzzle for me to work out. Also I love that people in Sheffield seem really interested in arts and craft. I don’t know another city where there is such a genuine passion for hand-made stuff.

I know some very talented fellow artists and crafters (I’ll big up We Live Here, Butterscotch and Beesting, Elodie Ginsbourg, Sarah Waterhouse and Leaf City Press if I may), and some splendid independent shops like Forge Bakehouse on Abbeydale Road – amazing bread!

What would you do to improve the city?
Close Meadowhall.

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