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| Jim Oberst was born, raised, educated, and married in
New York City. During his technical career, he taught
electronics and systems theory at Polytechnic University
of New York, and managed circuit and software development
at Bell Labs, AT&T, and Lucent Technologies. Before moving
to Arkansas, Jim and his wife Jeanette lived in New York,
New Jersey, Massachusetts, and finally Ohio, as well as doing a
two-year stint in Saudi Arabia. They have three adult
children and a grandson, all currently residing in the
Columbus, Ohio area. Jim is a private pilot, and built a
Glasair airplane that
he and Jeanette have traveled in extensively. |
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| After retiring in 2001, Jim and Jeanette moved south
to Hot Springs Village,
Arkansas. Having always admired the brilliance and
transparency of watercolor, and the loose approach to
painting, Jim finally found the time to pursue watercolor
painting in a serious way. He began his art studies at National
Park Community College in Hot Springs, Arkansas, with Ovita Goolsby.
He has also studied in workshops presented by a number of
nationally known artists including Jan Kunz, Ted Nuttall,
Joseph Fettingis, Sterling Edwards, and Tony Couch. He believes that all
successful artists
are constantly learning and improving their art. |
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Jim paints a variety of subjects, including landscapes, seascapes, and portraits.
His paintings are done in a dynamic, expressive style, taking maximum advantage of the
luminous qualities of watercolor. His paintings encourage the viewer to emotionally
enter into the scene that he has created. He especially enjoys painting scenes of the beautiful
Ouachita Mountains region of Arkansas and of historic bathhouse row in Hot Springs. |
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| His paintings have won many awards, including first place in both
the 2005 and 2007 Diamond National Juried Exhibits, the Gold Award in the Mid-Southern
Watercolorists 2007 Annual Exhibit, and first place in the professional landscape category
in the Art Guild of Saline County 2006 Exhibit. His paintings have been featured in both
the 2008 and 2009 editions of the Arkansas Artists Calendars published by the Governor's
Mansion Association. Jim's watercolors can be found in private collections in 19 states
and Canada, and in the permanent collection of the Fine Arts Center of Hot Springs. |
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| Jim is a member of the Fine Arts Center of Hot Springs, Mid-Southern
Watercolorists, Brush Strokes Village Art Club, and several national watercolor organizations.
His paintings are on display at
Artists Workshop Gallery in Hot Springs, and occasionally in
other local venues. Jim teaches a 1-day workshop titled Design for Painters. He designed and
maintains this website devoted to his art. Jim's upcoming and recent activities, including
exhibitions, awards, and workshops,
are listed on the Activities page, he posts images
of many of his paintings in the Gallery section, and he posts news on
the What's New page.
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