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.