James Watt has had a lifetime of painting in oils and pastels sincegraduating from Glasgow School of Art. A Regular exhibitor at the Royal Glasgow Institute and the Royal Scottish Academy, his work is held in the private collections of Her Majesty The Queen and His Royal Highness Prince Philip, as well as those of the Royal Navy, the Scottish Arts Council, and innumerable galleries and corporate collections throughout the world.

Raised in Port Glasgow, his main sources of inspiration have been theriver Clyde and the Greenock waterfront, witnessing the vocabulary of shipbuilding from the boom years of the 50's and 60's to the end of greatness.