I met Jim in 2007, just before he received a heart transplant.  I titled the first portrait I created of him Don’t Forget Your Longboat And Ax, in honor of Jim’s courageous (and always encouraging!) spirit.  The 2008 portrait is called A Letter To Himself, and that painting is a testament to Jim’s rare and extraordinary journey from the peace of someone near-death to the mostly-joyful chaos of the healthy.

To learn more about the making of these portraits, please visit this article (and this one too) on my blog.