James Stevens - Fernando Alonso: Wild West - Embellished Canvas 100cm X 100cm

Fernando Alonso racing across the Wild West, pursued by three cowboys on horseback.

Aston Martin's special Texas livery and the landscape of the American West.

Embellished Canvas 100cm X 100cm

The Concept

The Wild West began with a specific inspiration: Aston Martin's special Texas livery. Rather than depicting a race event, James used the livery as a springboard into something surreal, drawing on the broader landscape and spirit of the American West to build an entirely original world around it.

The western film genre provided the creative framework. Inspired by films like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, James conceived a scene in which Alonso tears across an open desert landscape with three cowboys on horseback in hot pursuit. The Formula 1 car becomes the getaway vehicle; the desert becomes the world.

Every painting by James begins as a sketch, with the concept stage described as the most thrilling part of the process. It is a playground for ideas, a space to explore composition, line, movement, and story before committing to canvas.

The Painting

The piece is executed in oil on a 1 x 1 metre stretched canvas. The square format is a deliberate signature choice: James regards it as one of his favourite working dimensions, giving the finished work a commanding presence on any wall.

The painting is built on the tension between two worlds: detailed realism in the car and driver, and James's signature abstract treatment of the environment. Dust and atmosphere connect the two, creating visual interaction between the subject and the world around it. This technique, which James describes as one of his favourite parts of the process, was applied consistently across both the realistic and abstract elements so the piece reads as a unified whole.

Colour, light, and composition work in concert throughout the canvas. The desert palette anchors the western setting while the Aston Martin livery provides a burst of contrast. The three horsemen are handled loosely and expressively, giving them a mythic quality that reinforces the film reference without becoming literal.

The Wild West is considered one of the most creative and surreal works in James's collection. It represents a full expression of his approach: a painting designed to be felt, not simply seen.