Jim Adrain

Jim Adrian was born in Belfast, Ireland in 1936 and, after studying forestry in Scotland, immigrated to Canada in 1972. He studied at the University of Alberta, receiving a Master's Degree in Philosophy in 1974. From 1975 to 1991 he worked at Canadian Forest Products Ltd. in Grande Prairie, later retiring to devote his time to watercolour painting and also to his hobbies, which included car restoration. He painted actively for much of his adult life and over his last two decades led many classes and workshops in the Peace Country area. A founding member of the Peace Watercolour Society in 1977 – an organization that boasted other notable regional artists including Robert Guest and Euphemia McNaught – Jim Adrian was also a highly regarded instructor at the Peace Summer School of Landscape art, held at Grande Prairie Regional College, Fairview Campus. The summer school, which featured field trips and guest speakers, was instrumental in fostering a small but energetic and close-knit group of landscape artists in the region.

Jim Adrian was inspired by the wild beauty of his natural surroundings and his favourite watercolour subject was the landscape of the Peace area, which he rendered with precision and clarity. He also enjoyed working in pencil and pen and ink and was featured in many group and solo exhibitions throughout the Peace.