Exhibitions/Events/Publicity

The King’s Tour Artists Exhibition

BUCKINGHAM PALACE Daily 10th July 2025 – 28th Sept 2025

CONTACT ROYAL COLLECTION TRUST

The public exhibition will show over 70 works, including James’s paintings, made by artists who have accompanied HRH The King on his royal tours around the world. 

James has accompanied HRH The King on four royal tours. 

It was in 1998 on the royal tour of East Asia that James flew past Mount Everest. He returned the following year to paint the vast Himalayan scenes and hence began his interest in mountain paintings.

PAINTINGS FROM THE STUDIO EXHIBITION. Autumn 2025

JOHN MITCHELL FINE PAINTINGS, 17 AVERY ROW, LONDON 

CONTACT WWW.JOHNMITCHELL.NET 

A collection of paintings from the studio,  including  work depicting  the South Downs, the Lake District and Dorset. Despite James's interest in mountain environments his work remains firmly embedded in the UK landscape which he has been painting since he was a young boy.

Dates for the exhibition will be announced soon.

K2, Karakorum EXHIBITION. AUTUMN 2026

CROMWELL PLACE, LONDON AND FORTE DI BARD MUSEUM, ITALY

CONTACT WWW.JOHNMITCHELL.NET

This July 2025 James, together with his painting dealer and friend, Wiiliam Mitchell, and a small support team will undertake the arduous four week trek to K2 and over the Gondogora Pass, in the Karakorum.  James will be painting and sketching along the route.

The resulting paintings will be exhibited at a major exhibition at Cromwell Place, London, and at an Italian museum in autumn 2026.

YOSEMITE EXHIBITION   December 2024

JOHN MITCHELL FINE PAINTINGS, 17 AVERY ROW, LONDON 

CONTACT WWW.JOHNMITCHELL.NET

All paintings and prices can still be viewed at www.johnmitchell.net

View selection of paintings on this website

During November 2023 James and his friend and painting dealer, William Mitchell, travelled to Yosemite Park in California, USA. There they met  Armin Fisher, a mountain guide who has accompanied  James on several  mountain painting trips. They spent a week in the Yosemite Valley, James painting and making studies as they explored the landscape. 

James was attracted to Yosemite Park as it was one of the first national parks in the world  set up to protect the natural landscape.

For more information contact James Birtwistle at John Mitchell Fine Paintings jamesb@johnmitchell.net

THE ONE SHOW, BBC1, March 2024

James and the presenter and artist Adebanji Alade go on a  painting adventure into the snowy Lake District landscape. This was shown  on the The One Show, BBC1, Wednesday 13th March 2024. Produced by Chalk Production for the BBC.

THE SUMMIT PAINTINGS : MONT BLANC EXHIBITION OCTOBER 2023 

CROMWELL PLACE, SOUTH KENSINGTON, LONDOn. 

 An exhibition of paintings based on James's painting expedition to the summit of Mont Blanc in 2022.

View and read about the Mont Blanc exhibition and project

The project and the paintings are recorded in a 140 page colour illustrated book which is available to purchase from John Mitchell Fine Paintings.

THE OBSERVER NEWSPAPER  3 September 2023

Based on James's recent exhibition 'The summit paintings : Mont Blanc,' the article, by Joanna Moorehead,  focused on the aspects of climate change that the expedition encountered.

Read article

BBC RADIO 4 SATURDAY LIVE  8 September 2023

James talked briefly about his life as a landscape/mountain painter. Accompanied  by film footage from his 2022 expedition to paint on the summit of Mont Blanc.

Listen and watch

MINT THEATRE, 42nd STREET, NEW YORK  DECEMBER 2023

'Partnership', a play by Elizabeth Baker, was performed at the Mint Theatre, New York, during November/December 2023. The play is set in the South Downs, UK, and tackles the issues of work-life balance. The stage design, by Alexander Woodward, featured one of James's South Downs paintings, framed to fill the entire stage such that the play is set within the painting.

See James's South Downs paintings.

COUNTRY LIFE 28.11.23 

'The English country house as seen in the art of Turner, Constable and their modern-day successors' by Michael Prodger. James featured as one of two living artists chosen to represent the genre today and his  painting of Chettle House is illustrated in the article.

Read article 

View James's country house paintings