James Ettelson Issue 47

The painter James Ettelson is a pointillist. This means he works by making many, many dot-like marks on a canvas. this is a neo-impressionist technique, popularised by an unapologetically French man named Seurat. Seurat the unrepentant Frenchman was a very good painter. James Ettelson is also a very good painter, but he is not French; he is Australian by way of sydney—specifically the north shore. James is also an autodidact, which means he saved thousands of dollars and three years of his life by teaching himself to paint. Universities generally don’t recommend you teach yourself anything, because without their guidance you’ll end up watching canned tomatoes whiz by on a conveyer belt for the rest of your life. But James taught himself, and now he’s enjoying the kind of success art school can’t guarantee. Monster Children gave him a buzz to say ‘nice one’.