Saturday Salon: The work of James Neil Hollingsworth

All paintings in this post are the copyrighted work of James Neil Hollingsworth

My good blogging friend Mark Ruffner recently posted about the work of one of his favorite artists, Kenton Roberts  and while viewing it, I was reminded of an artist I also admire and promised to post about his work on my blog.

So, here we are.

James Neil Hollingsworth is a contemporary realist painter with a rather interesting background. He enlisted in the Air Force in 1972 and after discharge, worked a series of jobs and spent weekends flying sailplanes. Later, he became a Registered Nurse along with his wife who, by the way, is the painter Karen Hollingsworth.

When James' paintings began to sell over the internet and elsewhere, he gave up nursing and became a full time painter. He is currently represented by four galleries and his work is in many private and corporate collections in the U.S. and around the world.

The thing that I find most intriguing about these paintings and what they have in common with Kenton Roberts' work, is the amazing sense of stillness. Even the mule is caught in suspended animation. These are beautifully rendered acutely precise moments in time, I think.