The Brotherhood of Ruralists Information Website

Janes Sellars (1927 - 2000)
Artist - Writer - Teacher

Test Valley Tempera, 1977	Test Valley Tempera, c. 1978	Oncoming Storm Tempera, 1978

During the early 1960s Graham Ovenden was a pupil of Jim Sellars at Southampton School of Art. Graham Ovenden enthusiastically acknowledges the influence of his mentor and friend and thus Sellars holds an important place in the history of the Brotherhood of Ruralists.

The diversity and romanticism of the English landscape held an enduring appeal for Jim Sellars. His paintings of the Lower Test Valley powerfully capture the atmosphere and rich fecundity of the area. In his paintings of the lush water meadows and cornfields of Hereford and, later, the Wye Valley, he demonstrates his deep understanding of the dynamic mystery of nature.

Hereford Cornfields

James Sellars won a scholarship to the Royal College of Art, where he joined the Fine Art Printmaking Department, working with artists, such as Sutherland, Piper and Bawden. Printmaking was a lifelong discipline for Sellars as he mastered and developed a range of techniques.

Collage was an important medium for Sellars. His work frequently adopts an experimental approach, combining a variety of materials and techniques.

The Orchard Collage	Clouds Rainbow Screenprint	Sunlit Landscape Collage, 1996

Further information can be found in the booklet James Sellars, Artist - Writer - Teacher, published by Ruralist Fine Art in 2003 to coincide with the exhibition of Sellars' work at the Barley Splatt Gallery. This 30 page booklet reproduces around 30 works by James Sellars together with short biography and appreciations written by his pupils, Graham Ovenden, Pandora Sellars, John Griffin, Anne Hayward and John Bunday.