Claerwen Laura James (born October 1970)^[1] is a British painter.

James is the daughter of the Australian journalist Clive James and his wife, the scholar Prudence Shaw.^[2] James studied zoology at the University of Oxford.^[3]

James specialises in portraiture, particularly of young people, painted from photographs rather than live sittings.^[4]

James began painting during her undergraduate studies.^[5] Following the completion of her academic studies, she decided to revert to her original passion for art^[6] and between 1999 and 2003 enrolled on a painting course at the Slade School of Art.^[6] Graduating in 2003, James gained a first-class degree, and was awarded the Melvill Nettleship Prize for Figure Composition.^[7] From 2003 to 2004 she continued her studies at the Prince's Drawing School after obtaining a graduate bursary.^[8] Her work is held in the permanent collection of the Scheringa Museum of Realist Art in Spanbroek, Netherlands,^[9]

In addition to her paintings, James produces prints, utilising techniques that include block-printing and hand-stencilled silk screening.^[10] She is one third of design partnership, Cambridge Imprint, where she has designed decorative patterns for the sleeves for Persephone Books,^[11] and collaborated with heritage shoe brand Grenson^[12] on a new printed design shoe.^[13]

• Claerwen James [Catalogue of the exhibition held at Flowers 21 May– 26 June 2010] New York.
• Claerwen James [Catalogue of the exhibition held at Flowers 13 February– 16 March 2013] London.