Povah, James

James Povah is a well-established, self-taught artist who paints in oils in a forceful impressionistic style with emphatic strokes of vibrant colour. His artistic hero is the post-impressionist Paul Cezanne and that influence is clearly evident in his work.

In his Clementsport studio on the third floor of an old Empire Loyalist house of 1827, Povah works from a collection of thousands of his own photographs of the province taken over the past 30 years.

He interprets rather than slavishly copying these. Povah believes that it is not what you paint, but rather how you paint that counts. Though he has exhibited only a few times over the years, he has found a coterie of faithful collectors always on the lookout for the latest thing from this little known but still admired artist.

Artist Statement

Courage

“I am not satisfied travelling the well-worn path of yesterday. So I must take chances. If what I’m working on seems fine, but does not satisfy my goal of growth as an artist- I will often overpaint. Sometimes I spoil things, but rarely. I try to view each new effort, not as something so precious that I dare not retouch it, but simply as a study....like a pianist who in private must practice. Over the years, this is how I have grown as an artist. Courage is the key.”