Jim Elias

Jim Elias is an acrylic artist that is inspired by his natural curiosity and nature itself. Jim is passionate about fly fishing, and has been since he was a young boy growing up in a small town in Iowa. Jim isn’t afraid to get his hands dirty trying to match the hatch, or by trying a new medium of art. 

Jim creates bright and beautiful artwork, using abstract techniques, as well as landscapes. Jim and his wife, Shelly, live in Muscatine, Iowa, where they run and operate Sunrise Galleries. When Jim isn’t running the gallery or creating artwork, he is out on the river.

Where are you from and how does that affect your work, or when did you first become interested in art?

I grew up in a small Northwest Iowa town called Ida Grove. As a young boy, I always doodled, drew, and was curious (I still am always curious). In Junior High School, our art teacher, Pat Kee, built a photo darkroom in a dungeon-like base room of our school. That started my journey toward photography as art and, in High School I learned to paint. I was always outdoors riding my bike, ice skating on the Odebolt Creek in the winters, catching chubs from Badger Creek, tying Wooly Worms, or fishing for catfish, bullheads, crappies, bass and bluegills at Moorehead Park. No trout are found in that part of the world.

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What about fishing inspires you as an artist? / Why fish? What inspired your work within the fishing industry?

I began trout fishing in the 80’s, having landed in Eastern Iowa (about an hour or so south of the closest Driftless Region trout streams). I discovered that trout and fly fishing for trout exercised my curiosity muscle and it became a challenge to learn all I could about the fish, their habitat, their diet, and how to catch them in gin-clear streams, sometimes only 3-feet wide. Plus, as a long-time marketing guy … I love fly fishing ‘cuz it’s so much like marketing (“if you can’t match the hatch, look under a rock” … ask me about that sometime).  😉  

Fishing inspired art?  I think the simplest explanation is being in nature and the quest driven by my curiosity.  Nature is beautiful and full of color and patterns; fish are beautiful and full of color and patterns… perfect ingredients for creating something.

As a business guy, I’ve always been fascinated by the fly fishing industry. Now I’m able to mold my love of fishing, art, and business into something curiously fun.

Do you have an art ritual of sorts? And,are there any art trends currently inspire your work?

I have no rituals.  The most important thing to me about creating art is to ‘get my fingers into some paint.’  Like fishing, if you go too long without, withdrawals creep in.

I don’t know if these are trends, or just what I’ve been doing.  One, is I like to use a lot of watery washes of color in my paintings for backgrounds, layers of color and depth to my work.  It makes for a sometimes tedious, slow process.  Two, I started painting abstracts a few years ago.  It’s helped me make my landscapes much more ‘painterly’ and loose and often my abstracts turn into some sort of nature scene … a reflection of my landscape painting foundation and my decades of experience doing landscape photography.

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What type of art/medium do you create?

I paint mostly with acrylic, but on a variety of surfaces.  With washes of color, parts of some paintings have a watercolor feel.  I also do landscape photography.

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How long have you been practicing in this medium?

I began painting with acrylic when I was a teenager and I studied advertising/PR and  fine art photography in college (University of South Dakota).  Then life happened … careers, marriages, kids etc.  My oldest son was getting married in the fall of 2015. My now-wife, Shelly, told me I should paint him a picture for a wedding gift.  I said I hadn’t painted in nearly 30 years. She said, “So what, paint him a picture!”  He and his bride are trout fishers, too, so I painted Richmond Springs at Backbone. The rest is history.  I’ve been painting since and we opened our art gallery business, Sunrise Galleries, in November 2016.  

How has your style changed over time?

I alway used to paint realistic landscapes. I challenged myself a few years ago to paint in the abstract. That’s helped me evolve as a painter.  Now, I often paint looser and with a wider color palette.

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How do you manage your work-life balance as an artist? / Is your artwork a full-time job, or do you have a daily gig too?

Art and my operating Sunrise Galleries is my full-time gig. It’s a retail brick-n-mortar place, plus an online, e-commerce gallery, so the work-life balance … or should I say the work/art-making balance continues to be a challenge.  

Since I can’t be fishing all the time, I’d like to be painting… but then clients wander into my gallery, or I have other business and marketing things needing my attention. Like right now, I could be painting, instead I’m writing! 😉

Favorite fish to paint/draw/create?

A young lady once asked me if I had a favorite painting I’ve done.  After thinking about it, I replied, “My favorite painting is the one I’m currently doing.”  I’d say the same thing for a favorite fish to paint. Brook Trout and bull Bluegill offer an incredible color palette.

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Most artfully inspiring place you have fished?

Paint Creek of course. 😉 It’s found in the Yellow River State Forest!

What was your first fishing experience?

Catching bullheads in an Iowa farm pond.  What really got me hooked though, were the many trips to catch stringers full of carp on cornmeal dough balls.

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When did you begin fishing?

I was probably 10 or 12.

What is it that draws you to fishing and creating art around the sport?

I started tying flies when I was about 14.  I think that’s when I discovered the art associated with fishing.  

Fly fishing to me is a creative endeavor.  Understanding everything about the fish, their habitat, their diet, their behaviors… and learning to outsmart them… is much like the creative process.  

The colors, smells, sounds and feelings found in nature are what drive me to create art about fishing and nature. If I can’t be outdoors on the stream, being there vicariously in my studio and creating is the next best thing.

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Who is your biggest inspiration/mentor both in art and personally? How did they impact your life?

God has blessed me with talents and gifts I try to use for His purposes and glory.

My dad taught me to work hard at whatever I do. 

Ansel Adams inspired me to be curious about art and work hard to make it the best I 

possibly can.

Do you listen to anything when you are creating art? If so, what?

Currently, ZZ Top is playing on my Pandora.  Blues Brothers, Stevie Ray Vaugh, Ray Charles, Louis Armstrong, Bob Seger, Rolling Stones, Bach, Leon Redbone, Elvin Bishop.

Whatever good music is playing is good for me.

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Where can people find your artwork? (Retail store, online store, social media handles, etc)

Sunrise Galleries is located at 114 E. 2nd Street, Muscatine, Iowa.  

Website: www.sunrisegalleries.com  

Facebook:  @sunrisegalleries 

Instagram: @JEliasArt @sunrisegalleries

Any parting thoughts you’d like us to add?

I think I’m gonna go work on my Rainbow Trout painting now.

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The Fly Fishing Journeys staff members have a culmination of passion and knowledge about the sport. They bring ability and know how, as well as experience on the water and working in the fly fishing industry. Their goal is to raise awareness and help educate anglers of any level about the sport, the industry, and how to best enjoy yourselves on and off the water. The mission at Fly Fishing Journeys is to be your go-to resource for all things fly fishing. The staff does this by connecting the fly fishing community with worldwide media content, sharing experiences, education, and stories.

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