Jim Pittman

Jim Pittman graduated from the College of William and Mary in VA in 1958 with a B.A. in Art History. Following his military obligation, he taught art for eleven years in two high schools and founded art departments in both schools.
A rafting trip through the Grand Canyon was a major influence on his colors and textures. Using acrylic on canvas, he applies many layers of warm and cool colors to get the rich textures he sees in the plains and canyons of the American Southwest. He is currently working on a canyon series, one of which was recently acquired by the Denver Art Museum for their permanent collection of contemporary art.
“I tend toward minimalism. My paintings are landscapes of the Great Plains and high deserts of the American Southwest. At first view, you see the distance; a second look and you see the earth, rock face walls and the erosion caused by the passing of time and by man. I layer, dig, and scratch at the surface to achieve the depth that conveys the vastness of the prairie or confines of the canyons. I want to paint paintings that are natural, luminous, spare and deep.”
Jim Pittman divides his time between coastal Virginia and Boulder, Colorado. Frequent forays into New Mexico, Utah, and Arizona provide the inspiration for his work.