Jim Draper
Draper's work, which includes drawing, painting, photography, video and writing, is informed by journeys into the wilds of Florida, Georgia, and North Carolina. He finds a home in the philosophy of radical naturalism. Draper’s work includes three exhibitions in Spain depicting the Florida ‘cracker’ cows descended from the Andalusian cows of southern Spain. His 22-painting series Ribbon of Life takes views from the ocean to the river and on to the springs and creeks beyond, on permanent display at Jacksonville’s Baptist Medical Center. And Draper’s Feast of Flowers multi-disciplinary project critically investigated ways of understanding Florida’s history, environmental aesthetics and the human place within the natural order, featured at the Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens in Jacksonville. Draper’s work has been featured in numerous other exhibitions, including at the United Nations. His work can be seen at the Jacksonville International Airport, and in hundreds of corporate and private collections. Draper was bestowed the title of Icon of Jacksonville by the Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville at their 40th Annual Arts Awards Gala, and he is a grant recipient of The Community Foundation for Northeast Florida. His book of art and writing, Shantyboat Stories, will be available in 2025.