News

Bedford painter uses photos as inspiration, displays work in Manchester

Friday, February 17, 2012

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Staff photo by Bob Hammerstrom
Jackie Tim has included her family and favorite places in her artwork over the years. Her works are on display at the University of New Hampshire - Manchester.

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Staff photo by Bob Hammerstrom
Jackie Tim looks over a painting of her husband and son displayed in a second floor hallway at the University of New Hampshire - Manchester campus Friday, February 10, 2012.

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Staff photo by Bob Hammerstrom
This portrait of Jackie Tim's father is the most recent painting she's done.

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Staff photo by Bob Hammerstrom
Watercolor painting of Jackie Tim's children.

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Staff photo by Bob Hammerstrom
Tim's self-portrait, right, and some of her other paintings and photography on display.

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Staff photo by Bob Hammerstrom
Jackie Tim painted this portrait of her father.

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Staff photo by Bob Hammerstrom
Jackie Tim has included her family and favorite places in her artwork over the years. Her works are on display at the University of New Hampshire - Manchester.

Enlarge Purchase Photo


Online

See more of Jacqueline Tims’ work and the photos behind the paintings in a slideshow at nashuatelegraph.com.

if you go

Jacqueline Tims’ art exhibit, “Latent Gifts”

WHEN: Jan. 23-mid-April

WHERE: UNH Manchester, 400 Commercial St., second floor gallery.

MORE INFORMATION: Visit http://manchester.unh.edu/campuslife/public-programs/art-mill or call 641-4308.



Story by TERESA SANTOSKI, Staff Writer

Photos by BOB HAMMERSTROM, Staff Photographer

the artistic journey of Bedford resident Jacqueline Tims has been marked by firsts. After creating her first painting in high school and setting aside her palette until after she had her first child, her artwork is now being exhibited for the first time at UNH Manchester.

Tims’ initial foray into art was encouraged by her father, a painter of landscapes and seascapes. “I think I was a very obnoxious teenager,” she said in her cheerful British accent. “I think my mom wanted me out of the house, so I’d go around to Dad’s. He didn’t know what to do with me,” so he suggested she try her hand at painting.

This resulted in the one serious piece of artwork she created during her high school years: a painting of Ray Thomas, flautist of The Moody Blues, that she did from a photograph in a concert program.

Art was not a priority for Tims at the time, however. She was busy with her high school choir and then with squash and swimming in college. Next came a job in a computer-related field at which she worked 80 to 90 hours a week.

“When you’re really excited about something, like coding software, and you don’t have any kids, you tend to spend all of your time at work,” she said. “I never stopped to smell the roses.”

Next, Tims and her husband started their own business, which meant she was never really off the clock. When son Mark was born, she moved to part-time status, working only three days a week. After son Jack joined the family, she stopped working altogether.

After having such intensive jobs, “having children was a lot easier,” Tims said. She discovered she had more time for herself as a mother than she did when she had been working.

Art entered her life once again, but through a different channel. Now looking for an activity outside of the house that enabled her to meet other adults, Tims enrolled in an art class at a community college at the suggestion of her sister-in-law, whose parents are both artists.

Tims also had begun taking photographs of her family after her youngest brother passed away and the family realized how few pictures there were him. She soon expanded her subject matter to include landscapes, snapping anywhere between 3,000 and 4,000 photos each year.

It was suggested that she use one of her photographs as the subject for a painting, as she had done so many years before with The Moody Blues’ concert program. Since then, Tims has based most of her paintings on her photographs, but has also framed some of the photographs as works of art on their own.

The majority of her paintings are done in acrylics, with a few watercolor and pastel pieces mixed in. “I’ll probably try oils when I retire,” Tims said. “I think oils are a pretty consistent commitment in terms of time.”

Her subjects are mostly landscapes, but with a twist. They “aren’t just trees and mountains and things,” she said. “There’s always something interesting in there, like a person or an animal, that gives it a timeline.”

This sometimes involves adding things to her paintings that weren’t in the original photographs. Tims cited a photo her art teacher’s friend took in Hawaii as an example.

Though the image was lush and beautiful, “it was just some leaves and green and a waterfall,” she said, “and I was like, ‘I can’t leave it like that.’”

To the delight of son Mark, who was fascinated with dinosaurs at the time, she populated the painting with a tyrannosaurus rex, a spinosaurus and a pterodactyl. The finished product originally hung in his room but is now on display as part of her exhibit.

Thus far, neither of her sons have taken an interest in becoming an artist. Mark is involved with musical theater and Jack’s interests revolve around books, reading and “nerdy math-like things,” Tims said.

Daughter Emma seems the most likely candidate to embrace the family talent for the visual arts. She is constantly drawing and repurposing toys like her Littlest Pet Shop pieces into unusual structures. Sometimes, Tims said, the two of them work on creative projects together.

Tims doesn’t have a designated studio space in her home. “The only area in the house that’s really art-related is her desk,” she said, referring to Emma. Instead, Tims completes her paintings wherever she is taking lessons. She has most recently been studying with Elaine Farmer, an artist based in Londonderry.

Tims’ artistic pursuits have been on hold for the past three years due to enrolling full time at UNH Manchester to finish her bachelor’s in biological sciences, her first step toward rejoining the workforce.

Ironically, it’s her connection to the college that made this first art exhibit possible. The student activities coordinator saw photos of Tims’ artwork on Facebook and asked if he could use them in the InkBlot, UNH Manchester’s creative arts magazine. It was then suggested that her work be featured in an exhibit.

It’s a completely new experience for Tims. “I was slightly reticent about it, because I kind of keep to myself on campus,” she said. “This is definitely putting myself out there.”

The exhibit is scheduled to close in mid-April, but the organizers are hoping to extend it through May. Tims will graduate that month, and her parents will be coming from England to attend the ceremony.

The exhibit includes that first painting of Ray Thomas from her high school days, which would truly bring her artistic journey full circle.

Even if her parents aren’t able to view the exhibit in person, both have expressed how pleased they are with her accomplishment – especially her artist father, who encouraged her to paint so many years before.

“He’s proud as punch,” Tims said.

Teresa Santoski can be reached at 594-6466 or tsantoski@nashuatelegraph.com.

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