Jim can’t remember when painting wasn’t a part of his life. As a child, he was encouraged to paint by his grandmother, also an artist, who noticed his drawings and gave him a box of oil paints. At age 10, he was selected by his grade school art teacher to attend extracurricular painting classes at Carnegie Institute in his hometown of Pittsburgh. Jim continued to study art throughout school, earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Wittenberg University. His college art major included a concentration in graphic design to address future financial needs, and painting courses to satisfy his artistic needs.
Living in Pittsburgh after graduation, Jim worked for several ad agencies as an art director, illustrator, and graphic designer; plus sold commissioned paintings to individuals and companies. Moving to the Ann Arbor area, he worked for a local ad agency for six years before establishing Rehlin Graphics / Creative Services agency, a partnership that operated for 20+ years serving SE Michigan clients.
Jim continued to paint and draw as time allowed, occasionally selling his paintings to companies and individuals. In 2014, Jim refocused full-time to fine art, with his artwork being displayed and sold via local and national exhibitions, galleries, art fairs, and commissions. He’s also honored to have been presented with various awards for his art and to be affiliated with several organizations including the Chelsea Painters and the Ann Arbor Art Center.
Jim has been influenced by the light studies of the Impressionists, the pointillism of Seurat, and the brushwork of Van Gogh. Driven by abstract expressionism to move beyond purely representational images — to capture the underlying spirit and vitality of the subject matter — his approach has evolved into his energy style. Building layers of complexity into his art, and sometimes hiding little surprises, Jim gets his inspiration from nature and all the amazing life around him.
Read our Blog Posts about Jim.
Visit Jim’s Website: www.RehlinGraphicsFineArt.com
Email Jim at: RehlinGraphicsFineArt (at) gmail.com
