Jim Daviner has been painting since 1954. A self taught artist, he successfully blends
techniques ranging from expressionism to modern representationalism in his work.
He is a keen observer, using his brush to capture observations in a palette of exciting
color and exacting compositions. Jim has been a contributor of wildlife and botanical
art to the magazine, Fur-Fish-Game. The History Channel program The Wrath of God,
within their Nor'easter segment, featured Jim's original watercolor, titled USS Portland
-- Lost at Sea. The painting illustrated the loss of the USS Portland sidewheel steamboat
during the terrible storm
of 1898.
A watercolor purist, Jim uses watercolor pigment that is transparent, or nearly so. This choice of medium presents an artist with a special challenge. Jim says: “In oil or acrylic painting, it is easy to make changes. The transparency of watercolor means you cannot paint over, or paint out, things which need to be changed. Errors can destroy the picture, so the solution to many types of errors is usually to start over.” Advanced planning is therefore a vital part of Jim's work. “I solve problems on paper first, or sketch ideas on paper before applying the ideas to the painting. For example, there is no white paint in watercolor painting. So if I want whitecaps on waves, I must leave the white of the paper to show through.”
Jim does many of his paintings on site, observing the subject and committing it to paper. Other works are created from photographs Jim has taken of a given subject. Oftentimes, thumbnail sketches are employed to help determine composition and contrast.
The appeal of visual art lies partly in the composition. One picture of a steamboat is just a steamboat. Another carries the viewer along with pleasing design and curiosity over the vessel and those working and riding on it.
Jim's goal is to recreate with color, line, contrasting planes and values of darks and lights in such a way as to inspire the viewer as he was inspired. Jim describes his art as “... somewhere between realism and expressionism. Something about the object or scenery painted inspired me, the feel of the air or the sounds on the wind.”
The desire to incorporate a sense of wonder and a sense of history, into his work is evident in his choice of favorite subjects. “I love painting workboats. I wonder over the rigging and its use, every thing having a specific purpose, every pulley part of an integral design. Old covered bridges and barns are another favorite. Their construction, their wooden pegs and beams, cause me to wonder over the builders, their lives, their hopes, and their dreams. To paint the emotion, the feeling, the wish, or to record the history, and show the dreams of the people. This is what I try to do.”
Picture shows Jim Daviner
with two of his paintings.
Left Painting: Drum Point Lighthouse
Right Painting: Thomas Point Shoal Lighthouse