Multi-disciplinary artist Simon James is pleased to unveil a solo exhibition of new works exploring the colours, shapes and surfaces that are hiding in plain sight in pockets of rural England, presented across three gallery spaces at the prestigious Charles Rennie Mackintosh House and Galleries. On show through July and August, the paintings, drawings and photographic works all draw their inspiration from the macro and micro landscapes of rural counties near the Northampton art venue, under the title “In Extremis”, a reference to both the form and content of this new body of work.

Produced in a burst of activity over 18 months, the works respond to nature in its extreme or precarious states, tackling subjects such as desiccated plant life or inundated farmland. Applying the vision and practice he developed in Europe and Asia, the artist pushes his imagery into barely referential abstraction and beyond, while challenging accepted boundaries between media.

The term “landscape art” may conjure up images of humanity in harmony with nature, but these 30 or so pieces are not your typical pastoral scenes. The fields, hills and hedgerows are viewed through a distinctly contemporary lens, interpreted and abstracted into eery close-ups in a sombre monochrome or pared back into iridescent colours and contours. The exhibition comprises three themed sections and covers a range of media, from paint on canvas and charcoal on paper to pigment ink on aluminium. The “Deadheads” series magnifies skeletal plants against brooding backgrounds. “Water Margins” considers rainfall as a change agent, turning foliage into abstract marks akin to calligraphy or ink painting. The “Colour Field” photos and paintings strive for a fresh, agrarian twist on the techniques associated with a 20th century art movement of the same name.