Lydia in her Dublin studio, August 2025. Photo by Helen Kirk.

Lydia and Antonella in The Back Loft / La Catedral Studios, Dublin 8, Dublin, Ireland. 02 September 2025.


Lydia James (she/they) is a visual artist based in Atlanta, Georgia, following a few months based in Italy and four years of making work in Ireland—in County Clare and in Dublin. She grew up on Mvskoke land outside of so-called Atlanta, Georgia, and her childhood was cradled by the huge trees surrounding her in this city-in-a-forest. In 2019, she received a BA in Studio Art from Grinnell College in Grinnell, Iowa, USA. Lydia works in many mediums with a foundational base in drawing. Her art practice is deeply rooted in the exploration and observation of the natural world as well as subconscious landscapes, and the two often come together in her pieces. She has exhibited work in the United States and in Ireland. She is based at Guardian Studios in Bankhead, Atlanta, and has an upcoming show of her work on August 1st, 2026. You can read her writing work online at lyd111a.substack.com.


Drinking water in the overcast sun. Self portrait. March 2021.

March 2021. Atlanta, Georgia.

Lydia next to her mural (B&W, middle) at a show at The Bakery, Atlanta. 2021.