If awarded the £10,000 Dover Prize, I will create a major new painting series titled “The Interior Weather: Portraits of the Mind.” This ambitious body of work will explore the hidden emotional climates within us grief, joy, anxiety, hope and how these invisible forces shape our lives, relationships, and sense of self. Through full-detail oil painting, I will develop large-scale, psychologically charged portraits and symbolic interior landscapes that give visible form to internal experiences, particularly those linked to mental health, neurodivergence, trauma, and recovery.
The bursary will allow me to scale up my practice to a level that is currently impossible due to financial constraints. I will use the funding to:
Secure a dedicated, well-lit studio space in the North East that supports the creation of large-format paintings, allowing for sustained, uninterrupted work.
Invest in professional-grade oil paints, linen canvases, gold leaf, mediums, brushes, and archival surfaces to achieve deep, layered detail and longevity.
Commission bespoke stretchers and framing for a final exhibition of the series.
Engage in research and interviews with individuals who have lived experience of mental health struggles, both through partnerships with local mental health organizations and through creative outreach sessions I will run myself.
Travel across County Durham and the surrounding region to document post-industrial spaces, natural environments, and care settings that inspire the symbolic backdrops of the work bridging the outer world with the internal psyche.
Allocate a portion of the budget for documentation, videography, and a professionally designed publication that combines visual art, poetry, and reflection.
This award would mark a watershed moment in my career, enabling me to consolidate the multidisciplinary strands of my practice painting, poetry, community engagement into a powerful, cohesive body of work. It would allow me to move from smaller, contained expressions into bold, expansive canvases that invite viewers into complex emotional terrains, where vulnerability becomes a site of connection and resilience.
Ultimately, “The Interior Weather” will not only advance my artistic voice but help foster critical conversations around mental health, perception, and identity using painting as a vessel for empathy, reflection, and shared humanity.
My work aims to spark meaningful dialogue around mental health, resilience, and transformation universal themes that deeply resonate with communities across Darlington and the wider Tees Valley. Through “The Interior Weather” painting series, I will engage with local individuals and mental health organisations to co-create a body of work rooted in real stories and shared experiences. By hosting workshops, open studio events, and artist talks in Darlington, I hope to break down barriers between contemporary art and the public, making creativity a tool for connection and healing.
Exhibiting this work in Darlington would provide an opportunity to showcase the town as a progressive, emotionally intelligent hub for socially engaged art. I would collaborate with local venues, community centres, and schools to bring the work into accessible spaces and encourage dialogue around mental health and creativity. The project’s presence in Darlington could attract wider attention, helping raise the town’s cultural profile while building sustainable, long-term connections between artists and communities.
By grounding my practice in Darlington’s lived realities and amplifying local voices through national-calibre work, I believe I can contribute meaningfully to the area’s evolving creative ecosystem.
My practice explores the layered complexities of the human mind—particularly themes of mental health, transformation, vulnerability, and resilience. Working primarily in painting, mixed media, and wire sculpture, I create deeply emotive, symbolic works that invite viewers to engage with the inner world: its fractures, its beauty, and its capacity for change. My visual language merges expressive realism with poetic abstraction, often using detailed portraiture, rich textures, and hidden symbols to reflect the kaleidoscope of emotion and thought beneath the surface. Over the last few years, I have developed a body of work that foregrounds emotional honesty and psychological nuance. My recent painting “Transition,” a self-portrait surrounded by sunflowers and inspired by Van Gogh, reflects a moment of personal reckoning with depression. It was exhibited at the Echoes of Tomorrow Exhibition at Left Bank Leeds and the Hope Exhibition at the National Justice Museum (shortlisted for the Creative Residency Art Prize). These exhibitions allowed me to place deeply personal narratives within wider social conversations. My sculpture “Metamorphosis in Wire and Light” a wire and light-based piece exploring the fragility and strength of human transformation—was shown internationally in São Paulo through the Artlymix Exhibition and featured in the Sevenoaks Kaleidoscope Gallery. I was also a finalist in the Batsford Prize 2024, and my poetry has appeared in the International Scarlet Review, reinforcing the multidisciplinary aspect of my practice. My work is grounded in lived experience but aspires to collective resonance. I aim to make art that serves not just as self-expression, but as a mirror and a bridge for others navigating similar emotional terrains. The Dover Prize represents an opportunity to expand this approach on a more ambitious scale. By creating a detailed painting series rooted in mental health narratives, community engagement, and symbolic storytelling, I hope to evolve my practice toward larger, more immersive works. This bursary would help me deepen the relationship between art and social impact, allowing me to use creativity as a transformative force for myself, my audiences, and the communities I hope to collaborate with across the North East.
Yes, I hold a degree in visual arts which provides the foundation for my current multidisciplinary practice.
I completed a BA (Hons) in Fine Art at Nottingham Trent University, where I focused on mixed media, painting, and installation. My time at NTU was formative in shaping my approach to exploring psychological and emotional themes through visual storytelling. I developed a strong conceptual practice rooted in mental health, transformation, and personal narrative, experimenting with both traditional and unconventional materials to express inner experiences and emotional states.
Throughout my degree, I exhibited in internal and external shows, receiving positive feedback for the emotional depth and originality of my work. I also participated in artist talks and crits that encouraged critical reflection and collaborative exchange skills that continue to inform my socially engaged projects today.
While I have not yet undertaken postgraduate study, I actively pursue professional development through exhibitions, residencies, and interdisciplinary projects. The Dover Prize would be a significant opportunity to further extend my academic and practical grounding, enabling me to create ambitious new work while deepening my engagement with community-focused and research-led artistic practice.
Yes, I have been shortlisted and recognised for several professional art awards and prizes, which have helped to validate and elevate my practice.
In 2024, I was shortlisted as a finalist for the Batsford Prize, a prestigious award that celebrates innovative and socially engaged visual art. My shortlisted piece explored the emotional layers of selfhood and mental health through detailed portraiture and symbolic composition.
I was also shortlisted for the Creative Residency Art Prize as part of the Hope Exhibition at the National Justice Museum in Nottingham. This exhibition focused on resilience, healing, and justice—closely aligned with the core themes of my practice—and provided a powerful platform for engaging with new audiences.
In 2023, I received a Highly Commended award in The Just Art Prize, which recognises impactful visual artwork responding to issues around mental health and social justice. Additionally, I have participated in juried exhibitions across the UK and internationally, including group shows in Leeds, Sheffield, Portugal, and Brazil.
While I have not yet received a full professional grant, these accolades have affirmed the strength and relevance of my work. The Dover Prize would represent a transformative next step—providing the time, support, and resources needed to scale up and deepen my creative impact.
While I am not currently running an artist-led studio or collective, I have actively applied for and contributed to several self-initiated and community-based projects that align with my artistic values of connection, healing, and mental health awareness.
I am in the process of developing community-focused workshops and collaborative art sessions that use creative expression to explore emotional resilience and shared experience. These have included proposals for care settings, early years environments, and intergenerational spaces—particularly in areas where access to the arts may be limited. I’ve also applied to opportunities that involve co-creation and collaboration, such as the GenF artist duo exhibition in Bucharest, and the Creative Practitioner Commission with Rotherham Museums, which focuses on engaging care homes and early years settings.
Additionally, I regularly take part in open calls, curated group shows, and collaborative publications (such as DUKKAN’s “Aftertaste of Childhood”), where I contribute both visual work and poetry. These experiences have encouraged me to build networks, initiate dialogue, and take creative risks.
While I have not yet established a permanent artist-led space, I am deeply committed to creating accessible, meaningful opportunities that connect my practice with diverse communities—and hope to develop more formalised artist-led initiatives in the near future.
I have not yet been commissioned by a public institution, but I am actively pursuing opportunities to do so and have developed several proposals tailored to public and community-focused contexts. My practice is well-suited to this kind of engagement, as it centres on themes of mental health, transformation, and social connection—subjects that resonate deeply within public and institutional settings.
Recently, I applied for the Creative Practitioner Commission with Rotherham Museums, Arts & Heritage, which focuses on intergenerational engagement through the arts. I am also exploring opportunities with local councils, mental health charities, and cultural organisations to deliver workshops, exhibitions, and co-created projects that use visual art as a tool for reflection and empowerment.
While I have not yet secured a formal commission, I have exhibited in respected venues such as the National Justice Museum, the Left Bank in Leeds, and internationally in São Paulo and Portugal, demonstrating my ability to present meaningful, high-quality work in public-facing spaces. I am committed to developing strong partnerships with institutions and communities and view commissions as a natural and important next step in expanding the reach and impact of my practice.
My artwork has not yet been acquired by a public collection, but this is a significant goal I am actively working towards. My practice—centred on mental health, transformation, and human connection—is rooted in themes that align closely with the values of many public institutions, especially those interested in socially engaged, emotionally resonant work.
While I have not yet had a piece purchased for a permanent public collection, my work has been exhibited in respected venues including the National Justice Museum, Left Bank Leeds, and Sevenoaks Kaleidoscope Gallery, as well as internationally in São Paulo and Portugal. These exhibitions have helped me build a professional foundation and gain public visibility.
In addition, I have received shortlistings for awards such as the Batsford Prize and the Creative Residency Art Prize, further affirming the relevance and impact of my work. I continue to apply for exhibitions, commissions, and curated programmes that offer the potential for acquisition and long-term public engagement.
Being included in a public collection would be a major milestone, and I view opportunities like the Dover Prize as an important platform to create ambitious, lasting work that could meaningfully contribute to public discourse and cultural heritage.
Yes, my artwork has been featured in several curated platforms and publications, both in print and online, which have helped raise the profile of my practice and connect with wider audiences.
In 2024/25, I was featured in JaamZIN Creative Magazine, an international arts publication that showcases emerging and established contemporary artists from around the world. The feature included images of my mixed media and installation work, along with an interview exploring the emotional and psychological themes within my practice.
Additionally, one of my poems was published in the International Scarlet Review, a respected literary journal that highlights contemporary voices across poetry and visual storytelling. This opportunity allowed me to present the crossover between my visual and written work, reinforcing the interdisciplinary nature of my practice.
Online, my work has been promoted through exhibition platforms connected to shows I’ve participated in, such as Artlymix (São Paulo), and through curated group exhibitions in the UK and abroad. These platforms have allowed my work to reach international viewers and critics, and have led to new opportunities, collaborations, and open call invitations.
I am not currently represented by a gallery, but I am actively building a strong, independent exhibition record and professional profile in preparation for future representation.
Over the past few years, I have participated in a range of curated and juried exhibitions both in the UK and internationally, including shows at the National Justice Museum in Nottingham, Left Bank Leeds, Sevenoaks Kaleidoscope Gallery, and Artlymix in São Paulo, Brazil. These experiences have allowed me to develop my practice publicly and professionally, while gaining valuable insights into the curatorial and collaborative aspects of exhibiting.
I have also been shortlisted for the Batsford Prize and the Creative Residency Art Prize, which has helped to further establish my reputation within the visual arts community. In addition, my work has been featured in creative publications such as JaamZIN Magazine and the International Scarlet Review.
While I continue to work independently, I am open to future gallery representation and collaboration—particularly with spaces that share my values around mental health, transformation, and socially engaged practice. In the meantime, I am committed to self-directed development, building relationships with curators, and producing impactful work that resonates across a range of platforms and audiences.
I have not yet taken part in a recognised residency or formal artist placement scheme, but this is a key ambition for the next stage of my artistic development. I am actively seeking opportunities that provide time, space, and mentorship to expand my practice in new directions—particularly residencies that encourage research, community engagement, and interdisciplinary exploration.
Residencies appeal to me because they offer the chance to immerse myself in a new environment, collaborate with other creatives, and push the boundaries of my practice without the pressure of immediate exhibition outcomes. I am especially interested in residencies that engage with themes of mental health, social change, or site-specific narrative areas that are deeply aligned with my work.
I recently applied for the Creative Practitioner Commission with Rotherham Museums, and have developed proposals for other programmes that bring together community, care, and creativity. These applications reflect my strong interest in being part of structured residencies or placements where learning and exchange are central.
Being awarded the Dover Prize would offer a transformative residency-like experience, allowing me to focus deeply on a new body of work while also engaging meaningfully with place and community key aspects of what I hope to experience through future residency opportunities.
Email: jamesmellor0603@gmail.com
Address: 7 Newcroft Close, sheffield, sheffield, sheffield United kingdom, United kingdom, S20 2UB, GB
Local Authority: Sheffield
