Jim Guenther
Jim Guenther
Ketchikan, Alaska
Click here to see available artwork by Jim Guenther
Simply put, Ketchikan artist Jim Guenther is inspired by water. He says, "It has captured my imagination for as far back as I can remember. I live beside the sea on a rocky coastline...I awaken to the crashing surf or to the gentle lapping of ripples on gravel. We are all born of this water and we are composed of it. In Ketchikan it falls from the sky 285 days a year. We pray with water. It is in our very breath."
Jim's painting process begins with sprinkling water onto synthetic paper. He then paints his surfaces with washes of acrylic ink pigments. He splashes, sprays, swirls, and melds the colors, seemingly mimicking the motion of water itself. The synthetic paper allows additional manipulation of the pigment once it's fully applied. As this state, he refines and adds smaller details.
His ultimate hope is that his work will elicit an emotional and physical response from the viewer. Jim is a retired school teacher and lives in Ketchikan with his family.