BIOGRAPHY
EARLY YEARS AND SCHOOL
and School
Jim Scullion was born in Bellshill in the Lanarkshire area of Scotland in 1954. He was raised in the town of Coatbridge where he continues to live today. Despite being given opportunities to live and work in Europe and North America he prefers to live in Scotland. From an early age he had an obsession for drawing, playing football, music and the cinema. The subjects for his works of art were often sport orientated, boxing, athletics etc. but more importantly football. Jim attended St Patrick’s High School in Coatbridge, but has had no formal training in Art, and was asked to leave his Art Class at High School by the Principal Art Teacher, who wrote a report on the 12 year old stating, “Probably the most naturally talented artist I have ever met, but he will get nowhere painting footballers."
WORKING LIFE
On leaving school at 16 Jim secured employment at the National Savings Bank at Cowglen, Glasgow. On his 21st Birthday he started work as a Trainee Social Worker in his home town of Coatbridge and in the same week he met Margherita whom he married two years later. Jim attended Strathclyde University and qualified as a Social Worker and later attended Paisley University and Strathclyde again to obtain Post Graduate diplomas in Addictions and Social Work Management. Despite having no formal training in art Jim maintained his interest in painting and particularly Sport. While at University studying Social Work he supplemented his income by painting for a film company, the theatre and sold hand-painted t-shirts at the Barras Market in Glasgow.
DEVELOPING HIS ART
Jim taught himself from books and by studying paintings in exhibitions, which led to his experimenting with a variety of mediums and styles. Many people are intrigued by his unorthodox and sometimes unusual ways of working. He works with traditional materials including Pencil, Coloured Pencil, Inks, Charcoal, Pastel , Oil, Acrylic and Watercolour. Over the years he also developed a way of working with computer technology to replicate his traditional methods and style. This work has earned him great respect as a Digital Artist. Today Jim is one of Europe’s most sought after Artists and his exhibitions have broken attendance records at galleries throughout Britain and abroad and have helped to earn him the nomination of European Sport Artist of the Year on two separate occasions
