Category: Nature

Now he paints, and still takes a few photographs. The following paintings were done by Jim in the last two years.

A life of observation led Jim to spend many childhood hours sketching at the dining room table. Those early watching and drawing sessions soon led to an interest in photography and by the age of 11, he had his hands on a SLR Minolta camera.

We skip forward many years while living by the sea in Maine’s largest city, Portland; his attention was captured by the excitement of living in this city by the sea. It’s often situations where we least know what is next that we find doors opening. Jim lives near Portland where artists, crafters and buskers are encouraged to set up a four foot table and sell their wares. Jim found himself matting photographs and joining Portland’s creative marketplace, anywhere in Portland! Selling his first matted print put his photography into the marketplace and his powers of observation have kept him there and led him to the world of oil painting.

If you have been captivated by the moon over the steeple on Franklin Street, you will find it again in one of Jim’s photos.

Commerical Street is lined with docks, fine restaurants, funky restaurants, tour boats, shops of all sorts and a ferry terminal for the island ferries and for large cruise ships coming for a visit to our fair city. Nestled in the midst of all of this is a working harbor, fishing boats bringing in fresh fish and seafood, one dock away from large cruise ships in one direction, small marinas, and even yacht sales right next to the Lobster place on commercial st.

In his own words:

I’m often told that I have a knack for composition. “You have an eye!” is a phrase I hear over and over. To some extent I think it’s just an innate ability although the ability has been nurtured in certain ways. From a very young age I’ve simply been an astute observer of my surroundings and landscapes in particular. I do a lot of staring and thinking about what I’m seeing. I do this because I find it beautiful and satisfying to take in.

I notice shape, contrast and color relationships. By understanding what I find beautiful in the scene, I then know what I want to include in my frame.

When I look through my viewfinder, I have a very natural ability to know when I’ve found a good composition. You have to understand that what you see through the camera, is your photograph.

When I first began photography, I paid little attention to aperture and shutter speed, allowing the built in light meter to guide my decisions. This freed me up to think only about composition. But what should be understood is that I wasn’t really “thinking” about composition but rather knowing what I liked when I saw it. Instead of taking five pictures of a scene, take 50. You may end up only liking the last two you took. Move around. zoom in and out, crouch down or lay down.

In theory, my compositional ability might translate to my paintings as well. I still consider myself a beginner in the realm of oil painting and have plenty of room for improvement

For a chance to observe Jim’s observations, stop by The Maine Art Gallery, 157 Middle Street, Portland and at craft shows. Visit Jim online on Instagram, local art shows and sometimes at First Fridays by the Portland Art Museum.