Biography
Jim’s mother was a trained artist who could do wonders even with just crayons. [Some of her work is to be found in another section on this web site.] He remembers her drawing a sunset when he was sick in bed as a child. His interest in art started with black and white photography in grammar school. It wasn’t until working as a post-doctoral student at the Oak Ridge National Laboratories that he discovered the wonders of the enlarger and mysteries of the darkroom. Ansel Adams became his hero. As a young assistant professor at North Carolina State University in the 1970's and 1980's, he incorporated his skill as a photographer in his research of using a fluorescence microscope to investigate oxygen transport in cells and tissues. During this period, the technology morphed from black and white negatives to digital cameras. He was a pioneer in the development of digital image processing and analysis.
About 2010, he attended a drawing workshop at a local art store. This led to studying drawing and later painting under Leslie Pruneau. After starting with oil as a medium, he switched to using acrylics. Further studies were with Larry Dean, Peter Marin and Kelly Oakes. He has exhibited his work at the Durham Art Council and the NC State Fair. In 2021, he and his partner, Marilyn Beck, initiated a 2-D Fine Arts League in Carolina Arbors, the community where they reside.
