About Jim

Like many successful contemporary Scottish painters, Jim Wylie spent many years at the chalk face of secondary education. After graduating in Drawing and painting from Glasgow School of Art, he served as Principal teacher of Art at Kilmarnock Academy and also worked for SQA as Principal Assessor ofAdvanced Higher Art and Design. 

He resigned from teaching in 2001 to concentrate on painting, and his workmanlike, mature approach to his craft has led to an increasing demand for his superbly designed landscapes. These are
characterised by the use of strong, clean colour, and demonstrate a variety of techniques from skilfully controlled brushwork to bold palette knife application.

He takes a particular pride in the craftsmanship of his paintings, and this is apparent in the exciting compositions, in the unusual colour combinations, and in the care with which the paint is applied to the canvas.

I remember at Art School being told by my lecturer, Sinclair Thomson, that there were only five or six artists in the whole of Scotland making a living solely from painting. Certainly, it is true that most of the established artists of the 1960's were also teaching or lecturing. 

Now, affluence and changing public attitudes have made it easier for artists to prosper. Art education changed out of all recognition during my time as a teacher, introducing a high level of understanding of the visual arts while continuing to improve and develop a wide
range of skills. 

The Scottish art scene is vibrant as a result, and I am as surprised as / am delighted at my good fortune in being part of it. Wylie exhibits continually in a variety of private galleries across Scotland. He is a member of Paisley Art Institute and contributes regularly to the annual exhibition, where he has been awarded prizes on two occasions. He is also a member of the co-operative of established visual artists in the Glasgow Group, which was established in 1957, and is the oldest artists co-operative group in Scotland.