Jim Clements Artist Biography
112 ½ N. Main
P.O. Box 402
El Dorado, Kansas 67042
Ph: 316.655.1248
Website: www.jimclementsart.com
E-mail: jimclementsart@cox.net
Jim Clements is a western oil painter who considers himself blessed to be a working artist. “To me, painting represents ultimate freedom - so it’s just natural that the wide open spaces, rich history and independent people of the American West translate so well to canvas. My desire is to honor the spirit of the West in each painting I do.”
Born and raised in Kansas, a state which has been called the “gateway to the West,” his surroundings have inspired him his whole life. “God’s beauty is all around us, and the endless opportunity He’s provided to artists is overwhelming.”
Jim believes the best education any artist can receive is through sheer hard work and observation of life. He also gratefully acknowledges the advice, instruction and encouragement of many fellow artists over the years, which have been such an integral part of his own professional growth. In his opinion, a painter’s education never ends. It is a lifelong pursuit.
Jim’s work has won many awards over the years and has been featured in numerous publications including USA Today, Florida Today, Art Calendar magazine, American Art Collector, Southwest Art, Bridle and Bit, Rodeo Attitude, Derby Now magazine and Topeka Capital-Journal.
In 2010, the National Day of the Cowboy Organization based in Fort Worth, TX, selected Jim’s painting titled “Simple Things” as the image for its prestigious Cowboy Keeper Award, given annually to individuals or organizations that have made a substantial contribution to the preservation of the West.
In 2011, Jim was nominated by Margaret Stockdale, from Krambach, NS, Australia, for the international "Tony" Award. The Tony has been to artists in the United States, Canada, Mexico and Australia.
In her nomination, she stated, “The artist whose work I greatly admire lives in Kansas, so the Tony will be heading out across the Pacific again. I am a great fan of American Western art so I could not pass up the opportunity to promote an artist who specializes in that genre. … I love your work, Jim, the values it promotes, your fresh technique and your love of humanity and your country really comes through in your paintings.”
In 2012, the National Day of the Cowboy Organization once again contacted Jim to provide the artwork for their official poster.
In the past several years, his work also has been selected for exhibition in many national shows including: the National Cowboy Symposium & Celebration, Lubbock, TX; the Annual Stampede Western Invitational Art Exhibit, Greeley, CO; the Annual American Plains Artists Juried Exhibit, held in various galleries throughout the West; Kansas Academy of Oil Painters exhibits; the National Small Oil Painting Exhibition, Wichita, KS; American Royal Western Art Show, Kansas City, MO; Birger Sandzen Memorial Gallery, Lindsborg, KS; and Spirit of the West Festival, Sioux Falls, SD.
