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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.

Press and Publications

American Legacy Fine Arts featured in AMericna Art Collector Magazine, May 2023.

American Legacy Fine Arts Featured in American Art Collector Magazine, May 2023 Issue

In its definition of “still life”, the Tate museum in London states, “In the hierarchy of genres (or subject types) for art established in the 17th century by the French …

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American Legacy Fine Arts presents Peter Adams and Jim McVicker in Epoch Times July 12, 2021 Issue.

Peter Adams and Jim McVicker featured in Epoch Times July 13, 2021

It’s a first for Sotheby’s NY. From July 16 through to July 26, the prestigious auction house will host an online sale titled “Contemporary Realism: Important 21st-Century Works.” A total …

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Jim McVicker in Southwest Art Magazine October 2017 Issue
American Legacy Fine Arts presents Jim McVIcker featured in Plein Air magazine, September 2015 Issue.

Jim McVicker Featured in Plein Air Magazine September 2015 Issue

Californian Jim McVicker challenges himself by being critical of his paintings, but when he feels confident about a particular work, he keeps putting it forward.  And that confidence was rewarded …

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American Legacy Fine Arts presents Jim McVicker in Californi Art Club's Newsletter.

Jim McVicker Featured in California Art Clubs Newsletter Winter/Spring 2015

IN THE NORTHWEST CORNER OF CALIFORNIA IS HUMBOLT COUNTY with its stands of old growth redwoods and more than no miles of coastline, mostly rugged and wild. Humbolt is also …

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