HERE'S A LITTLE ABOUT THE START OF JIM'S JOURNEY UP TO WHERE
JIM TOSTRUD'S WILDLIFE VISIONS VENTURES IS HEADING NEXT.
When Jim first started Wildlife Visions, he was encouraged by many other artists he looked up to, to stay true to himself, and draw subjects that he knew well and were meaningful to him. He always stayed true to his style so people could identify his art from other artists. Ever since Jim was a young boy, he loved to draw with a pencil. Over the years he has drawn countless pieces of art. Jim has sharpened his skills and his pencils to become one of the top wildlife illustrators in his field.
Over the years, doing countless shows and art exhibits Jim found that sometimes people didn't appreciate all the time he spent doing his black and white pencil artwork. People would call his work that he'd put many hours into a "Sketch" or say something like, "I really like it, but wish it was in color!" Jim had been painting for a long time but felt his black-and-white drawings were much stronger than his paintings. Then one day his close friend and mentor artist Lester "Jay" Wright took him under his wing and introduced him to a great tool, the airbrush. This changed Jim's life and art forever.
Jim interjects, "My hopes are that as you venture through this website you can witness how I've grown as an artist and feel my genuine passion for the subjects I portray. Getting to know me and the blessed journey I've been on to get where I am now as a man, an outdoorsman, and as an artist. I hope you will share this with others and return to see new pieces as they come to life. This is a new chapter in the journey of Jim Tostrud's Wildlife Visions. I am very excited to see where my travels take me from here!
Jim Tostrud
Since then Jim's art evolved, by utilizing newfound tools and knowledge, his art took on a photo-realistic quality. Working hard to create his own style of airbrush, hand brush, and mixed media, Jim's art reached a point where people thought they were photographs and not a piece of art he created. Jim says "I think it's pretty incredible when you can trick the viewer's eyes into believing your artwork is a photo and not hand-crafted. When that happens, I feel I've accomplished my goal of capturing a moment in time in nature and bringing it back to life for all to enjoy. Jim also says, "Although people love my paintings, I feel like paintings are my labor and black and white drawings are still my first love."