Art upstart James Hogan who takes an abstract approach to beating the establishment

Chris Blackhurst
24 May 2010

Many folk I know in the City are happy to enjoy a comfortable living, working long hours during the week, dining well, golfing and sailing at weekends.

One who isn't like that is James Hogan. Formerly at Brunswick, Hogan, 58, now plies his trade as a PR at College Hill.

But there is a determinedly different streak in James; for the past few years he has spent much of his free time painting.

Not just anything that takes his fancy but abstracts, joining philosophical and religious concepts with the saga of his own life and experiences.

If that seems ambitious that's because it is.

His plan is to complete 225 works. The first 28 go on show early next month at a gallery in Mayfair.

He's not had any training: he painted a lot as a child but then stopped completely when his father died. James was aged just 13.

Then, one morning, some 40 years later, he woke up with a compulsive desire to paint. Stored in his head were hundreds of abstract images and he felt the need to put some of them on canvas.

I'm no qualified judge but I do think by combining his personal odyssey (he was in television before becoming a financial PR) with what is effectively the story of time, James provides a unique and insightful intellectual challenge. Certainly, the result of his incredible effort is a rare collision of pulsating colours and exploding ideas.

If that wasn't brave and remarkable in itself, Hogan has applied his PR expertise and knowledge to his craft.

Fully aware of the snobbery of the art establishment and the difficulties an unknown artist faces in getting their work recognised, he has turned himself into a brand.

He's called himself The Art Upstart. It's as if he's turned his passion into a viral marketing campaign; The Art Upstart has his own website (www.theartupstart.com), Facebook and Twitter pages, and beautifully reproduced book.

For ages, he remained anonymous, not revealing his true identity. Said Hogan: “The Art Upstart is an individual artist attempting to challenge the status quo in the art world today by letting ordinary people determine an artist's popularity or success.”

Also, he said: “I did not want my professional associations to overshadow my quest to launch myself in the art world.

"I have a background in broadcasting and financial PR. However, this is very personal to me, and I wanted my art evaluated on its own merits.”

Finally, when he'd got 10,000 intrigued online followers and with the exhibition firmly arranged (no mean feat in itself), he came clean.

It's clever. The Art Upstart: James Hogan is at The Gallery, 28 Cork Street, from June 7-June 12.