Jim Turanchik is a bird artist and illustrator who works  primarily in watercolor and gouache on paper.  His work has appeared in The Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum’s “Birds in Art” and “Naturally Drawn” exhibitions, and his illustrations of birds and bird watchers have enlivened the pages of Bird Watcher’s Digest for the past twenty years.  

“Birds may seem to be too narrow of a focus,” admits Turanchik.  “But if you watch a bird for just a minute, you realize that the possibilities for representational art are limitless.”

Jim works in a loose, impressionistic style, emphasizing expressive form over anatomical detail:  “I’m not about painting feathers.  The bird’s topography has got to be right, but what’s more important to me is the life that animates it.”  And that, according to the artist, can only be captured by paying close attention to nuance and gesture.  

From an aesthetic perspective, Jim says, birds make two very powerful  statements, the most conspicuous of which is the beautiful symmetry of their plumage.  “This speaks to us of the order in nature.”  Less easy to quantify, but just as impressive, is the sheer vitality expressed in a bird’s actions.  “This speaks to us of the exuberance of life.”  We love each one of these statements, he says, and when they’re combined seamlessly into one?  “You’re looking at a bird.”

Jim is a graduate of The Ohio State University.  He lives in Columbus, Ohio.