Upon seeing 19th-century French landscapes at the age of twenty-one, Jim McVicker had an awakening to art. The beauty and sensitivity saw in those works changed his he perception of the world. McVicker started studying art history, painted copies of French Impressionist landscapes, and enrolled in life drawing and  painting classes at Chaffey Community College.  In 1975 he decided to become a full-time painter.  He moved from Ontario, California, where he was raised, to Northern California, searching for and finding a quieter, more rural lifestyle. He met and worked with several highly-accomplished artists, painting landscapes on location daily, or painting in the studio, always working from the still-life setup or models. He learned from direct observation of nature, by looking at and studying notable art from the past, and working alongside more developed artists.

In 1984, McVicker met his wife and fellow artist, Terry. Today, the couple live in Loleta, California, a small rural town just south of Eureka, where McVicker continues to paint daily, following his passion for painting from life, trying to capture the light, atmosphere, space, and mysterious beauty all around us.

His awards include the 2018 Artist Choice Award Maui Plein Air Invitational; 2017 1st place in the plein air category of the Art Renewal Center International Salon Competition as well as three honorable mentions in the plein air category and a finalist in the still life category; 2017 Best Composition, Best West Coast Artist, Best New Artist to Easton Plein Air Festival, Easton Maryland; 2016 and 2014 Best of Show at the Laguna Beach Plein Air Invitational; 2015Gold Medal for Painting, California Art Club’s 104th Gold Medal Exhibition held at USC Fisher Museum of Art; 2015 First Place, PleinAir Magazine Salon Competition. Jim McVicker is a Signature Artist Member of the California Art Club.