Today we’d like to introduce you to Jim Draper.
Hi Jim, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Attached is a brief bio. Long story short, I have lived in Jacksonville for more than thirty years. My career as a visual artist has run the gamut from teaching to exhibiting in multiple locations. My book, Shantyboat Stories was published this year. At present I am working on many projects using a variety of media.
Jim Draper grew up in Kosciusko, Mississippi, the geographical center of the state. He attended the University of Mississippi where he earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1974 and received a Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Georgia at Athens in 1978. Based in Jacksonville, Florida, Draper has taught drawing and painting at Florida State College at Jacksonville, Flagler College in St. Augustine, and as a faculty member and Galleries Coordinator for the University of North Florida. He is currently retired from teaching and works full-time in the studio.
His work, which includes drawing, painting, photography, video and writing, is informed by journeys into the wilds of Florida, Georgia, and North Carolina. Drawing primarily from the philosophy of radical naturalism, Draper gets inspiration from myriad sources beyond nature in the form of conservationists, naturalists, and other artists who are known as experts at observation of the natural world.
Draper’s works include:
FERRAL, investigates the relationship between our species (Homo sapiens) and the balance of the natural world. FERAL, as a body of work depicts various plant and animal species that have either been relocated by our species in order to provide food or at risk due to actions by humans. Exhibited at Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama
during fall of 2023.
Radical Naturalism, series of various images exhibited at University of North Florida, Spring 2023. This body of work documents a creative exploration of the natural world.
Vacas Españolas de Florida (Spanish Cows of Florida), depicting the Florida cracker cows descended from the Andalusian cows of southern Spain.
Centro de Arte Contempráneo de Mijas, 2018
Museo de los Gálvez, Macharaviaya, 2019
Museo de Arte de La Excelentísima Diputación Provincial de Málaga, 2019
Healing Palms, series of hundreds of paintings and prints, designed as not only the icon of Florida, but a symbol of resilience and the ability to persevere.
Various public and private collections
The Ribbon of Life, series of twenty-two paintings taking the view from the ocean to the river and on to the springs and creeks beyond.
Baptist Medical Center, Jacksonville, FL, Permanent Display
Feast of Flowers, Draper’s seminal work, is a multi-disciplinary project that critically investigates new ways of understanding Florida’s history, environmental aesthetics and the human place within the natural order.
Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens (Jacksonville, FL). December 2013-April 2014
Produce, featured artist in “We Are What We Eat” exhibition 2016
United Nations Headquarters, Visitors’ Lobby in New York City, NY
Beach Finds, series of original paintings cleanly depicting images found on southeast beaches, primarily shark teeth, shells, and feathers
Various public and private collections
Liquid Peace, ten depictions of the waterways of the southeast, primarily northeast Florida promoting clean, available water as a pathway to peace
Lufrano Gallery, University of North Florida
Draper’s work can be seen in hundreds of corporate and private collections, including the Jacksonville International Airport, Baptist Medical Center, and Cowford Chophouse.
In 2016 Draper was bestowed the title of Icon of Jacksonville by the Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville at their 40th Annual Arts Awards Gala. In 2018, Draper was the recipient of the Ann McDonald Baker Art Ventures Award & $10,000 Unrestricted Grant from The Community Foundation for Northeast Florida.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
My journey has been a delightfully weird trip. Luckily it has not been a smooth road. Had it been easy I would not have done nearly as much as I have. For the most part my physical abilities have catapulted me into a magical place. I have sold thousands of paintings all over the country and beyond the borders. I’ve had many exhibition opportunities. I have been fortunate to have had the support of the various cultural entities of Jacksonville.
One unexpected struggle I have been dealing with for the last six years has to do with vision. My problems began with a detached retina in my left eye. Even thought I am right-eye dominant this issue has been a tough one. Part of my work involves curatorial efforts. When my detachment happened I was on the faculty of the University of North Florida. I was also the exhibition coordinator for two galleries on campus and one at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Jacksonville. (a UNF initiative.)
As I went through multiple surgeries and a grueling treatment regime I found that my vision affected both my ability to curate and install exhibitions and my teaching skills. All of the sudden my life was turned upside down. Luckily I was able to retire from UNF with my disability. A few years later the retina in my right eye pulled away from the left. Surgery fixed the problem and I thought I would be OK. During the healing process the retina started pulling away from the right. Emergency surgery did the best it could but it left me with very limited vision in my right eye.
Interestingly, the vision issues have not necessarily affected my painting. I continue to work although at a much diminished pace. I can control light and the physical nature of the painting so I am able to produce the kind of work I want to.
As I turned 60 in 2013 I decided to pursue a life-long interesting in writing. I started working with Lynn Skapyak Harlin. At the time she was running writing workshops on a plywood-and-time shanty moored on the Trout River. Several years of these workshops left me with a plethora of partially finished short pieces. Lynn chided me for years about finishing the stories and having them published.
December of 2023 and my seventieth birthday posed the question, “If not now, when?”
Lynn and I worked the full year of 2024 on refining the stories and putting them into publishable order.
The book went to press late fall of ’24 and was delivered as a hard-bound collection of 23 short pieces in February of this year.
The art world is tough, no doubt. The world of print publication is travail beyond my wildest expectations. I looked at the calendar and saw that I couldn’t afford the years it would take to get an agent and go traditional publishing routes. I decided to self-publish. I worked with Lynn as editor and a book designer in Durham, North Carolina, named Dave Wofford, Horse and Buggy Press.
My goal was to create a book that was both an interesting read and also sort of an art object. I offered the book in a limited edition form with added prints along with the book alone.
Now, the book is published. Fortunately, I have enough commissioned work to carry me forward. I have tons of plans of various projects, some literary and some visual. All projects I work on fall into the realm of mixed=media,
So, to answer your question, no the road has not been smooth but the significant struggles kept me shy of my comfort zone and made me push harder.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
So, I label myself as a multi-media artist. Even though I might not work consistently in all forms I do use the various media forms in both solo work and in collaborative efforts.
My main medium is painting. This is what I am most known for. Those who did more deeply find that my paintings are the tip of the iceberg.
The solo exhibition I am most proud of is Feast of Flowers. This body of work was shown at The Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens beginning in December of 2012. It was mounted as a response to the (supposed) discovery of Florida by Ponce de Leon in April of 1513. In this exhibit my intent was to explore the flora and fauna of pre-European Florida. The exhibit was viewed by more than forty-thousand participants.
On the collaborative/curatorial list I would have to select Lost Springs. This project was spear-headed by Matt Keen and Margaret Tolbert. Karen Chadwick and I were willing participants in helping Matt and Margaret work through the production of a video which explains the relationship between painter, Margaret Tolbert and an eco-system that was forever adulterated by misinformed bureaucrats and all-too-eager industrialists. The resulting boondoggle of the Cross Florida Barge Canal was a reservoir called the Rodman that engulfed a series of pristine fresh-water springs along the Ocklawaha river.
As an environmental activist, this project is near to my heart. It has been shown at various locations around the state of Florida and has been aired on Public TV.
I have been fortunate to have mounted many museum exhibitions from Florida to southern Spain during my career. I have enjoyed the opportunity to work with hundreds of artists, curators and exhibition designers. I think this may set me apart from others.
Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs or other resources you think our readers should check out?
I maintain a comprehensive library that contains not only visual artists but also literary works. I tend to gravitate towards the narrative in both visual and literary arts. That being said I certainly appreciate the abstract artist of mid-century USA. I was fortunate to study with Elaine deKooning while working towards my MFA at the University of Georgia. I enjoy visiting the Black Mountain Museum in Asheville, NC.
As an armchair naturalist I have an extensive collection of field guides I reference daily. I use bird identification devices along with plant reference apps. I maintain a blog on Substack.com and visit several participants on that format. In these terrifying times I am comforted by the daily letters of Heather Cox Richardson.
I feel as if everything I do is work. Not in a bad way.
Pricing:
- Prices for my paintings range from a few thousand for small works to 25,000 for larger works. Most accessible pieces would average around 8,000.
- My book, Shantyboat stories is offered on my website and is also available at area independent booksellers. It may also be collected through Amazon.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Jimdraper.weebly.com
- Youtube: Jim Draper@Youtube
- Other: https://Jimdraper.substack.com
