JIM Orme will give an artist’s talk on Wednesday evening on his working practice at Bar Lane Studios, York, where he is exhibiting his new paintings under the title of Surface Memories.

“It’ll be a rundown of what I do and why I do it, and there’ll be time for questions and answers after some stories,” says Jim, who operates from a studio at home in Newbridge, Pickering.

He is no stranger to talking on the subject of art, having taught for 25 years at York College, the last ten of those as head of the fine art department until his retirement in December 2009.

Previously he has exhibited at King’s Manor in York, the Backo’theshop Gallery in Terrington and the Midlands Arts Centre in Birmingham. Now, Surface Memories is not only his Bar Lane debut but also his first solo show in York.

The invitation to exhibit came from the studios’ project manager Ben Clowes, who had worked at York College in the same department. “I’d heard Ben was starting this venture at Bar Lane and we first discussed the possibility of a show sometime before last Christmas,” says Jim.

“The work on show has been done over the past two years, with a couple of paintings from 2010 and the majority from this year, and because of the nature of the pieces, they take a considerable time to complete as they’re multi-layered.

“Some of them take two years to finish, one even longer, and what I like is to see how the work changes over time. When it takes on an identity of its own that exceeds my original intention, that’s when I stop working on it – and what intrigues me is that the outcome is almost despite me.”

Jim’s inspiration for his paintings is rooted in memories of a place, an event, a person, or feelings and responses experienced in the past, or it could just be the weather conditions.

“The initial starting point for a piece may be a colour or combination of colours, a texture, a form, a division or conjunction, or a significant set of words; anything that registers as a possibility that can be dealt with through painting,” he says.

Take the work Seville, for example. It is, you will not be surprised to learn, orange in colour on account of Seville’s oranges and burnished artefacts, but do not take it at merely surface level. “There’s no attempt to reproduce anything,” says Jim, whose multi-media pieces begin with a thick gesso primer before he applies shellac, differing oil paints and acrylic background.

Often he puts metallic pigments in the base paint to achieve an iridescent glow. “Although my work can conveniently be described as pure abstraction or in some pieces, minimal, it is in fact quite the reverse," he says. "It does not involve paring down or emptying of the surface, it is more a process of addition rather than subtraction.”

Consequently, a piece such as the outwardly dark City? rewards a lingering look. “It was inspired by flying into a cloudy New York at night with the city grid barely visible, so I’ve tried to capture that,” he says.

“A painting like this doesn’t smack you in the face. You have to look for a long time, and it becomes a springboard for other ideas. You gather from it what you want.”

A title is all important to each work, he believes. “The title is a clue; for me it sparks off an idea and then the viewer is allowed to interpret it as they see fit,” says Jim, whose use of a question mark in such works as City? and Game? is significant too. “Again it’s to invite people to bring their own interpretation to it,” he reasons.

Just as he wants the viewer to question and ponder a piece, so Jim likes to challenge himself in his art.

“It is the possibility of surprise that keeps me returning to the studio, where sometimes the last thing that you should do, turns out to be absolutely right,” he says.

He hopes his prices are just about right too, varying from £350 to £1,000. “I purposely keep them at that level because I’d rather sell at a reasonable price and move the works on to people’s walls, than me have to store them back in the studio,” he says.

Jim is delighted that Bar Lane Studios is providing him and other artists with an outlet for their creativity. “The opportunity to show really contemporary work in a place like this is something York has been waiting for,” he says. “Everyone who works in the contemporary field in York is relieved that the Bar Lane project has happened.”

Jim Orme’s Surface Memories exhibition runs at Bar Lane Studios, Bar Lane, York, until July 22; open 9am to 4pm,Tuesday to Friday, and 10am to 4pm, Saturdays. This evening’s talk by Jim starts at 6.30pm; admission is free.