About the Artist
| As a sculpture major at the Cleveland Institute of Art in 1987, Jim received a scholarship to study at Studio Art Center International in Florence, Italy. There he was trained in traditional techniques of stone carving which was a logical progression from the wood carving done previously in Cleveland, Ohio. Jim moved to Key West, Florida in 1990 where he learned techniques of welding steel. Collecting scrap metal from dumps and old construction sites proved an inexpensive and inspirational source of material. Jim's ability to execute a likeness of his subjects was realized under the instruction of Nathaniel Kaz at a Florida Keys Community College workshop in 1992. In 1993, Jim taught "Metal Sculpture" at Florida Keys Community College. His craft was further developed by his introduction to "Traditional Blacksmithing" in 1995 when he began work as a Park Ranger at Fort Zachary Taylor State Historic Site in Key West, Florida. Jim is the creator of "ART in the PARK, an outdoor sculpture exhibit at Fort Zachary Taylor State Park which features his own large scale pieces as well as the work of several other artists. The successful exhibition in 1995 has become an annual event, that runs for six weeks, providing outdoor and "site-specific" works to an enthusiastic Key West audience. Jim's studio is located on Stock Island. |
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