Jim Karjala

Jim Karjala (Second Wind Art Studio)

I'm a retired English teacher, Navy vet, father, husband, grandfather, writer, surfer, and watercolorist. I’m married to a retired teacher, and in 2010, when we moved to Cambria, I began a quest to teach myself the art of watercoloring.
With the help of YouTube lessons, DVD's and books on the subject and innumerable hours of studying and practice, I've come a long way in the few years I’ve devoted to this endeavor.
In the last eight years, I’ve been privileged to have my paintings hung at Café 225 in Visalia, CA, two shows at the Exeter Museum and Art Gallery, various sites here in Cambria including the J. Patrick House Bed and Breakfast, and I am the “resident” artist for the Cambria Historical Museum where I demonstrate three or four times a year. I was also surprised but honored to place in Allied Arts fall juried show in 2017, and in the 2018 spring juried show, I was given a first place award for my watercolor seascape Green Wave.
Watercolor has an attitude and a mind of its own which I love and appreciate, but, alas, often with one stroke too many, I hear a "nice try" resonating in the background. On the other hand, some of the breathtaking results of happy accidents that occasionally happen are the sirens' songs for aspiring artists, and I do sometimes hear those too. It's just enough to keep me happily stroking and striving to get better.
Jim Karjala