Animated by their rich layers of material and technique, Ann-Marie James’s paintings encompass a multitude of visual forms and historical references.

Executed on wooden panels, James’s complex compositions incorporate numerous processes: beginning as laser-engravings and then layered with ink drawing, acrylic and oil paint.

The female forms of Art Nouveau artist Alphonse Mucha serve as a starting point for this recent series, reworked as fragments that appear at moments within James’s abstract painterly chaos.

Accompanying the artist’s exhibition at Edel Assanti, London (November 2015 – January 2016), the volume includes illustrations of the series and accompanying drawings, as well as an essay by Charlie Fox that examines the work’s ties to Mucha and beyond.