Biography

Jim Flanagan, born in New Bedford, Massachusetts, graduated with a BA in Fine Arts from Southeastern Massachusetts University. While only a second year student at the university he won the National Society of Illustrators Award, a highly esteemed competition held at the Norman Rockwell Museum in New York City. Since then he has gone on to win several other awards in photography, calligraphy and graphic design.

Jim has studied and explored many different mediums, always pushing his ideas to the extreme. As a self taught painter he has worked with oils, acrylics and watercolors. In photography he achieves a unique warm quality by experimenting with handmade papers and hand coloring techniques. He has developed his own process for paper mache which he uses to create his West African influenced masks. Different raw material, such as wood and glass are the components which make up his 3-D sculptures, he even goes as far as designing frames for his work and building them himself.

Traveling extensively though North America and Europe has given him the opportunity to further develop himself as an artist. These sojourns have allowed him to experience first hand many different cultures which have inspired and set the mood for much of his work. Another source of inspiration comes from different societies across the globe. Often the news, books or a vision will spark an idea, which he then pushes until he reaches his goal.