For several decades after receiving my BFA, I gathered visual experiences as a pilot. Later, as a cartographer, I used maps to tell visual stories. In 2016 I was excited to return to putting those experiences on canvas and paper as a painter.
My artwork reflects spending a good part of my life exploring the ocean of air above us and studying the earth’s surface while aloft. The intersection of these two worlds at the horizon is of particular interest to me. Although the exact nature of the subject matter is not always apparent, the feeling of a large scale look at the land and sky is the essential part of what I am trying to do. From aloft, the vastness of the atmospheric ocean makes human activity seem insignificant. I have always found sanctuary there and I would like to put a little of that down on canvas.
I have been involved in flying for almost as long as I have felt compelled to create art. For me, the two activities are inextricably related. I am fortunate to have had a variety of aviation experience, first as a Naval Aviator and later as a glider pilot. But the machine was simply the means to obtain the view out the window as the appearance of human impact on the land faded with increasing altitude.
Find out more about Jim’s work by visiting his website: jimdarke.com or on Instagram: @lateforthesky2.
PRESS:
“Creative Conversations: Homeowners Turn Garages Into Artistic Escapes,” Inside Sacramento, July 2021.
