The Rivalry of Flowers

A book of new paintings and works by Shani Rhys James, one of Britain’s leading and most distinctive artists, this collection reveals how her latest work has developed a lighter palette to deal with new subjects of flowers and colorful, patterned wallpaper backgrounds. These themes of domesticity are not anodyne however, but informed by Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s 1892 short story about the plight of women in the home, “The Yellow Wallpaper.” Rhys James’ paintings continue her exploration of the position of women in society, and in particular how women can be imprisoned by consumerism and the domestic environment. The more than 50 images in the book include photographs of a new development in Rhys James’s work: automata based on the motifs of past paintings. The paintings are accompanied by a foreword by the artist and critic William Packer, a perceptive interview of Rhys James by Francesca Rhydderch, in which the artist discusses her background and her interest in the position of women, and an essay by Edward Lucie-Smith that explores her paintings in an art history context.

Shani Rhys James is one of Wales’ leading painters who has been honored as a Member of the Order of the British Empire for services to art and is an elected member of the Royal Cambrian Academy of Art. Her work has garnered many awards, including the Glyndwr Award, BP National Portrait Award, Hunting/Observer Art Prize, and the Jerwood Painting Prize. William Packer is a professional artist and art critic. Closely involved in the British art world throughout his career, he was the principal art critic of the Financial Times from 1974 to 2004. Francesca Rhydderch is the author of Rice Paper Diaries and a literary editor. She is a former editor of New Welsh Review. Edward Lucie-Smith is an author, a poet, an art critic, curator, and a broadcaster who also organized the London-based poets’ group called the Group.

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