Jim Draper grew up in Kosciusko, Mississippi, the geographical center of the state. He attended the University of Mississippi where he earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1974 and received a Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Georgia at Athens in 1978. Based in Jacksonville, Florida, Draper has taught drawing and painting at Florida State College at Jacksonville, Flagler College in St. Augustine, and as a faculty member and Galleries Coordinator for the University of North Florida. He is currently retired from teaching and works full-time in the studio.
His work, which includes drawing, painting, photography, video and writing, is informed by journeys into the wilds of Florida, Georgia, and North Carolina. Drawing primarily from the philosophy of radical naturalism, Draper gets inspiration from myriad sources beyond nature in the form of conservationists, naturalists, and other artists who are known as experts at observation of the natural world. Draper’s works include: Vacas Españolas de Florida (Spanish Cows of Florida), depicting the Florida cracker cows descended from the Andalusian cows of southern Spain.
Draper’s work can be seen in hundreds of corporate and private collections, including the Jacksonville International Airport, Baptist Medical Center, and Cowford Chophouse. In 2016 Draper was bestowed the title of Icon of Jacksonville by the Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville at their 40th Annual Arts Awards Gala. In 2018, Draper was the recipient of the Ann McDonald Baker Art Ventures Award & $10,000 Unrestricted Grant from The Community Foundation for Northeast Florida. |