Jim Bortz

Artist Bio

Jim Bortz has cut a rugged trail to this point in his career as a painter. A sportsman at heart, Jim’s hard-won experience introduces a level of authenticity to his work not often found in the wildlife art world. The believability of Jim’s paintings is built squarely on a foundation of solid draftsmanship… a skill developed through years of filling sketchbooks. This skill translates to a pleasing level of accuracy in a bold impressionistic painting style. An avid fly fisherman, Jim is quickly becoming known as one of the countries top trout artists. The BortzArt Studio is located in Cody, Wyoming.

“I’ve always been fascinated by the rugged places of the American West… the wildlife, the landscape, and the men who chose to make a life there. Cowboys, mountain men and explorers – great self-sufficient men who lived off the land and followed a code all but lost to the progress of comfort and modern technology. These heros of my youthful imagination were not fearless men, but overcame fear to sometimes do great things… and other times just survive. It’s been said that character is forged from the fires of a hard life and the lives of these men were hard indeed. I like that. It’s something I try to keep in mind as I push through my own meager struggles.

With the gravity of the West constantly tugging at my painter’s heart, my work displays a strong Rocky Mountain influence. My paintings are built squarely on a foundation of careful observation, decades of drawing, and many miles-worth of worn boot leather.

Bortz has had multiple pieces juried into the prestigious Birds In Art exhibit at the Woodson Art Museum in Wausau, Wisconsin and is included in the Museum’s permanent collection.