Jim Kaelin

Jim Kaelin, Artist

Originally from Louisville, Kentucky, Jim relocated to Cincinnati to complete a degree in Graphic Design at the University of Cincinnati.  He has worked in the advertising and marketing arena for over 30 years and, over that time, periodically explored painting as a hobby, admiring the work of artists such as Steve Lyman, Robert Bateman, Carl Brenders, and many others. Awed by nature since a child, Jim is motivated to understand and appreciate the natural world better through illustration and painting. In recent years, he has had more time to spend in nature and practice his art. He looks forward to sharing these moments by way of painting.

Artist Statement

We share this amazing and unique world with so many other living things. Plants and animals all making an interwoven, interdependent tapestry of wonder and beauty on landscapes that, one could argue, are also alive and somehow sentient. We all originate from this tapestry and should embrace it as active members with respect, reverence, and appreciation.

I’ve always felt my best when outdoors, especially in the woods, listening to the whispering trees, watching the clouds as they morph and observing how the sunlight plays across everything—as nature communicates its mood. Every day is a new expression. It’s these things, along with the wildlife so blessed to call the outdoors home, that I attempt to preserve with paint. These creatures bring a focus, an energy, a momentary bit of reverence to an otherwise expansive and complex scene. My goal is to capture these moments, offered by our good Earth, reminding us to appreciate a texture, a color, the dance of light, an assemblage of natural elements. Nature shares these moments of marvel inviting us to slow down, appreciate and connects. 

I offer my art as encouragement to step outside and discover the endless wonder of our natural world. Too often we surround ourselves with ourselves, oblivious to a world of amazing environments, both tiny and expansive, brimming with living stories. No matter how many times I walk the same forested path, I always discover something new. Take to the woods.