Biography

At the age of eight James Hart Dyke saw a small oil study by John Constable which inspired him to start painting narrative landscapes.  

 

James gravitates to spatially dramatic locations, such as remote mountain ranges, often enduring physically demanding expeditions,  although the UK landscape will always be central to his work. He has a strong interest in the Early Romantic Movement which played a large part in the popularisation of the Alps and which lead to the notion of the 'sublime.'  

 

As a painter James sits between the act of narration, a direct depiction of the landscape, and that of an abstract painter, focusing on the texture and brushwork of the paint. He is continually studying the work of the abstract expressionist painter Richard Diebenkorn as well as always referring to the studies of John Constable.

 

James has also undertaken a series of projects including 'artist in residence' for The British Secret Intelligence Service,  artist embedded with the British Forces, working for the producers of the James Bond films, working for Aston Martin and accompanying HRH The Prince of Wales  (King Charles)  on royal tours. These projects allowed him to experiment with more graphic forms of painting influenced by his studies as an architect at the Royal College of Art.

 

James's paintings have been purchased by many private and coorporate institutions. In 2020 'Flow' was bought by the Messner Mountain Museum in Italy. 

 

 

 

Born in 1966

 

EDUCATION

1990/92 Royal College of Art MA architecture 

1986/89 Manchester University BA(Hons) architecture 

1996/97 City and Guilds of London Art School Postgraduate Diploma in Painting

 

TA AND SKYDIVING

1988-1996 While studying architecture and painting James trained as a freefall parachutist and joined the Territorial Army.

 

COUNTRY HOUSE PAINTINGS AND SOTHEBY'S

1992 to present. After leaving the Royal College of Art, James made architectural illustrations and paintings of country houses. 

1998 Work included in Sotheby's exhibition The Artist and the Country House from the Fifteenth Century to the present day.

 

ROYAL TOURS 

1998  Accompanied HRH The Prince of Wales (King Charles)  as the official artist on the royal tour of East Asia, travelling to Nepal, Bhutan and Sri Lanka. 

1999 Accompanied HRH The Prince of Wales (King Charles) as the official artist on the royal tour of the Middle East.

2007 Accompanied HRH The Prince of Wales (King Charles) as the official artist on the royal tour of Africa.

2008 Accompanied HRH The Prince of Wales (King Charles) as the official artist on the royal tour of the Gulf States 

 

SAUDI ARABIA AND HRH PRINCE KHALID AL-FAISAL AL SAUD

1999 Painting and Patronage Exhibition at the Banqueting House. Exhibition shows work by James together with HRH The Prince of Wales (King Charles) and HRH prince Khalid Al-Faisal Al Saud.   

2000 Paints in Saudi Arabia. The work is exhibited in Riyadh, attended by HRH The Prince of Wales (King Charles) and the Saudi Royal Family.

 

HIMALAYAN EXPEDITIONS

1999 After seeing Mount Everest on the Royal Tour of East Asia (1998) James treks to Khumbu Region to paint.

2002 Invited by the Nepal Trust to join an expedition to Humla, a remote region of Nepal.

2003 Painting expedition to Mount Everest

2004 Painting expedition to Mount Everest

2006 Painting expedition to Humla, a remote region of Nepal.

 

PORTRAIT WORK

1998 Exhibited National Portrait Gallery. BP Portrait Award.

2005 Exhibited National Portrait Gallery. BP Portrait Award.

2009 Exhibited National Portrait Gallery. BP Portrait Award.

 

ATLAS MOUNTAINS EXPEDITION

2005 Solo painting expedition across the Atlas Mountains, Morocco.

 

EMBEDDED WITH BRITISH FORCES

2006 Traveled to Baghdad, Iraq, embedded with the British Forces .  

2007 Traveled to Camp Bastion, Afghanistan, embedded with the British Forces.

 

BRITISH SECRET INTELLIGENCE SERVICE MI6

2009 Commissioned by The British Secret Intelligence Service to make a set of paintings to mark their centenary. 

2011 Public exhibition of the centenary paintings at Mount Street Galleries, London.

 

JAMES BOND

2012 Commissioned by the producers of the James Bond films to make an official silk screen print to mark fifty years of James Bond. 

2012 Painting features in the James Bond film Skyfall

 

KIBERA SOHO HOUSE

2012 Invited to work in Kibera, Kenya. The resulting work was exhibited at Mount Street Galleries, London, to raise money for charity.

 

ASTON MARTIN CENTENARY

2013 Commissioned by Aston Martin to make a set of paintings to celebrate the company's centenary. The work was exhibited at Aston Martin's Hyde park showroom.

 

HONG KONG/BEIJING

In 2014 Commissioned to paint in Beijing and Hong Kong 

 

QUEEN'S TENNIS CLUB

2016/17 Commissioned by Queen's Tennis Club to make a series of paintings.

 

ALPS EXPEDITIONS

2001 Solo painting expedition across the Alps 

2015  Whymper's Alps 150 Years On

2022 Mont Blanc : The summit Paintings

 

PATAGONIA EXPEDITION

2017 Climbs and paints with two experienced climbers in Patagonia, South America.

 

ART IN THE AFTERMATH. STYLE FOR SOLDIERS

2017 Worked as artist mentor with wounded soldiers. 

 

NORTH NORFOLK

2019/20 Paints the landscapes of North Norfolk, UK

 

SOUTH DOWNS

2020-21 Paints the landscapes of the South Downs, UK

 

MONT BLANC : THE SUMMIT PAINTINGS

2022-23 James, together with team of climbers, climbs Mont Blanc and paints from the summit.

 

 

SOLO EXHIBITIONS

2024 Yosemite John Mitchell Fine Paintings, Avery Row, London

2023 Mont Blanc : the summit paintings Cromwell Place, South Kensington, London. Curated by John Mitchell Fine Paintings

2022 Recent Paintings John Mitchell Fine Paintings, Avery Row, London

2021 South Downs John Mitchell Fine Paintings, Avery Row, London.

2020 North Norfolk John Mitchell Fine Paintings, Avery Row, London.

2019 From the studio John Mitchell Fine Paintings, Avery Row, London.

2017 Patagonia John Mitchell Fine Paintings, Avery Row, London.

2015 Whymper's Alps 150 years on John Mitchell Fine Paintings, Old Bond Street, London. 

2014 Hong Kong Beijing Delahunty Fine Art, Bruton Street. Mayfair, London.

2013 Aston Martin Centenary, Aston Martin Hyde Park Show Room, London.

2012 Landscapes : James Hart Dyke John Mitchell Fine Paintings, Old Bond Street, London. 

2012 Everything or Nothing/ James Bond 007 Mount Street Galleries, Mayfair, London. 

2011 A year with MI6 Mount Street Galleries, Mayfair, London. 

2009 War and cake Beaux Arts, Bath. 

2007 Royal Tours John Mitchell Fine Paintings, Old Bond Street, London. 

2006 Hidden Himalaya John Mitchell Fine Paintings, Old Bond Street, London. 

2005 The High Atlas John Mitchell Fine Paintings, Old Bond Street, London 

2004 Everest Painting Expedition John Mitchell and Son, Old Bond St, London. 

2003 Painting in the Hidden Himalayas WH Patterson Fine Art, London.

2002 Visions of a Travelling Artist John Mitchell and Son, New Bond Street, London.

2001 Paintings from the Alps WH Patterson Fine, London. 

1999 Paintings from Nepal WH Patterson Fine Art, London. 

 

 

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS

2017 Nature Mortem Guildhall, London

2011 Kibera, Soho House Mount Street Galleries, London 

2007 Discerning Eye Mall Galleries

2006 Postcard Portraits National Portrait Gallery  

2006 Summer Show Beaux Arts, Bath

2005 BP Portrait Award National Portrait Gallery

2005 Summer Show Beaux Arts, Bath 

2001 Discerning Eye Mall Galleries 

2000 BP Portrait Award National Portrait Gallery

2000 Painting and Patronage  The Banqueting House, London.

1998 Travels with the Prince: A Fiftieth Birthday Exhibition Selected by HRH The Prince of Wales. Hampton Court Palace

1997 BP Portrait Award National Portrait Gallery

1997 The Artist and The Country House from the Fifteenth Century to the Present Day  Sotheby's 

 

 

MESSNER MOUNTAIN MUSEUM

2020 Reinholt Messner aquires 'Flow' for his mountain museum cllection.  

 

 

JAMES BOND FILM 

2012  Painting of the MI6 headquarters features in the James Bond film 'Skyfall'

 

 

LECTURES

2023 Painting on the summit of Mont Blanc Alpine Club

2009 Painting out of the box Imperial College, London, Faculty of Medicine. 

2008 Painting in the Himalayas Asia House, London. 

2007 Adventure Artists The Art Workers Guild, London. 

2006 Artist in the Himalayas The Art Workers Guild, London 2006

 

 

TEACHING

St.Albans High School for Girls 

Prince of Wales School of Drawing

The Art Academy, Southwark

The Prince's Foundation Summer Schools.

 

 

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

2023 'Mont Blanc : The summit paintings' by William Mitchell. 

2014 'Nature Morte' by Michael Petry. Published by Thames & Hudson. 

2001 'James Hart Dyke: Country House Painting'. Published by Sheeran Lock.

 

 

ASSOCIATED ORGANISATIONS

An associate member of The Alpine Club 

A member of The Art Workers Guild, London 

Kandhar Ski Club