Growing up in a creative family in New York city was the perfect environment for Jim Walsh who now paints as J. Charles. "My family appreciates art and they encouraged me to follow my passion for drawing and painting."
Following a stint in the US Navy he felt the need to wander and hitch-hiked across the country and settled in California…for awhile. From there he moved back east to Montreal, Canada, and eventually traveled out to Alberta where he apprenticed as a sign painter and eventually open his own sign company. Relocating to the West Coast opened up a new world and provided him with an environment where he could concentrate on and fine tune his artistic talents.
He continued his formal art training in the Graphic Design and Illustration program at Capilano College in North Vancouver taking a range of courses in still life and figure painting. His unique style and eye-catching work evolved and quickly gained him local recognition as a vibrant and prolific painter.
"As an artist, I strive to visually interpret the surrounding natural environment. I am very interested in the intense color saturation created by the interplay of light and shadow as well as the more subdued, muted tones that the rain creates." It is this attention and study of his subjects which helps create his beautiful oil and acrylic paintings. His works are so attuned to the natural beauty of the landscape and brilliant colors of nature that they invite viewers to inch closer to the canvas.
With a distinctive style that is constantly evolving, his work encompasses elements of fine art and print design. As an active status member of the Federation of Canadian Artists he has exhibited at several fine art galleries. His work is featured in the permanent collection of the Alberta Art Foundation and in private collections through North America. He remains one of the top sellers at Fine Caribbean Art an exclusive on-line art gallery located in Boca Raton, Florida.
