Jim McGrath has been a Vermont resident for 38 years. Although he knew his true passion was painting he wasn’t able to truly live his dream until 2005 when he started his own gallery and began painting full time. Jim is passionate about nature and draws inspiration from the beautiful landscapes that surround Wilmington and nearby towns. He spends countless hours hiking through forgotten country paths and thickly wooded mountain trails enjoying the sights and sounds of nature and looking for fresh compositions and colors that will inspire his next painting. Plein air (open air) painting is important to Jim because by painting directly in nature he is forced to be more free and loose with his brush strokes giving his paintings a spontaneous unstudied quality with an “of nature” appeal. Jim also enjoys photographing his outdoor excursions for painting in his studio. Painting from both plein air and photos give different perspectives and lessons that he can use is any circumstance.
Jim primarily works with oils and paints on a variety of surfaces including board, canvas, and linen. He likes to experiment with different surface preparations, adding rich textures in a variety of ways.
