"To paint these pictures, I must see the landscape all the time and measure her quiet narrative; layer upon layer perfectly, bringing to light, the importance of the sacred and the spiritual."
- Jim Bressi
Jim Bressi was inspired by his grandfather, a true steward of the land and his Uncle Isaak Frazee, a turn of the century (1800-1900) impressionist painter. Bressi looked to paintings past, investigating the beauty of seventeenth - and eighteenth - century art.
Recognized as an artist at a young age, he later enrolled at UCLA with a major in Fine Arts. His talent in figure drawing led to commissioned portraits and a scholarship to San Francisco Art Institute (SFAI), the 4th eldest fine arts institute in the country. His first show was in the Diego Rivera Gallery on campus. At SFAI, Bressi also had the honor of acting as liason for visiting artists from around the world. Together, they would tour the campus and its many departments. Afterwards, they sat and enjoyed tea.
Bressi lives his work and lives with his work. He paints from his home studio in Portland, Oregon.