Street artist Jimmy C (aka James Cochran), was born in England in 1973 and grew up in Adelaide, South Australia. Cochran has been developing his own art style since he was 16, when he was living on the streets and expressing himself through graffiti art. During the early 1990’s, Cochran played a key role in the development of the underground graffiti movement in Adelaide. By 1994, at the age of 21, he enrolled in a Bachelor of Visual Arts at the University of South Australia which he graduated from with First Class Honours, in November, 1997.
Cochran’s major art interests in graffiti and oil painting converged, leading to the development of his signature ‘aerosol pointillist’ style; where portraits or urban landscapes are painted entirely from dots and dashes of spray paint. This style is influenced by the dot painting techniques used by Australia’s indigenous First Peoples.
- Cochran’s technique developed into what he now calls the ‘drip paintings’ and the ‘scribble paintings’, composed by spraying small circles of paint on to a wall, using layers of coloured drips or energetic lines, to form vibrant and poetic city-scapes and portraits.
- Each piece can take up to three days to complete and involve the use of about 30 cans of variously coloured aerosol paints.
In 2002, Cochran completed a Master’s degree in Visual Arts at the University of South Australia, focussing on urban realist and figurative oil painting.
From 1994- 2007, Cochran was employed by various local councils around Adelaide and regional South Australian towns, as community arts co-ordinator. In these roles, he was involved in designing and coordinating painting projects for schools and community centres; with an emphasis on the development and education around aerosol art. Cochran has also worked as:
- Painting Lecturer, 1st, 2nd and 3rd year students at the Roma Mitchel Arts Centre (2003-2004),
- Lecturer for the Alla Prima painting course, Adelaide Central School of Art (2004),
- Drawing Lecturer, Visual Arts, 1st year students, University of South Australia (2005) and ;
- Worked on numerous mural commissions and community arts projects, such as the ambassador for the Adelaide Fringe Festival, Adelaide (2016).
Cochran’s canvases and walls can be viewed in cities across the world. He now lives in London and has worked extensively in both Paris and London, immersing himself in the lives of the homeless; where he carefully sketches from life, before undertaking his final piece. His art can also be found in the collections of the Art Gallery of South Australia and private collections throughout Australia, Asia, USA, and Europe.
Otherwise, go out and see some quality Jimmy C
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