Jim McGinniss

"Creating art is, and has always been, a joy. If I can pass that enjoyable feeling to you, I have achieved more than just creating an object."
-Jim McGinniss

Jim McGinniss discovered his talent for sculpture relatively late in life, picking it up as a form of physical therapy after an accident working as an elevator mechanic left his right hand completely broken. In 1996, after his retirement, McGinniss moved to New Hope, PA, where he has a home studio. Self-taught, he considers creating his sculptures a form of "play," referring to it as a "labor of love." He often donates or auctions off his work for much less than it is worth, preferring to share it with his community. Some of his sculptures are on permanent public display, like Jumping for Joy at the Pearl S. Buck House in Perkasie, PA. While many of his sculptures express the joy he sees in the world, he has also dealt with less lighthearted themes, like the angst of his adolescence in the 1940s in his Memories collection and the events of 9/11 in Stairway to Dedication. He exhibits his work locally in Bucks County, New Jersey and New York. In addition, McGinniss is also a published author, whose children's book Jimmy's Other Glove was released in 2010.

Education
Self-taught

Teachers and Influences
Influenced by Joseph Barrett, Christopher Willett, Karl Kuzmer, Doris Brandes, and Leonardo Da Vinci

Connection to Bucks County
McGinniss has lived and worked in New Hope since 1996.

Colleagues and Affiliations
Taylor Oughton, Al Lachman, Christopher Willett, Pamela Miller, Sharon Victor, and Ed Letven
Member of Artsbridge and the Art & Cultural Council of Bucks County

Exhibitions
Prallsville Mill, Stockton, NJ
Philadelphia Sketch Club, Philadelphia, PA
NOVA Galaxy Art Show, Jamison, PA, 2002, 2005
Artsbridge, Lambertville, NJ
Phillips' Mill Annual Art Exhibition, New Hope, PA
Da Vinci Art Alliance, Philadelphia, PA
Ellarslie Open, Trenton, NJ
Mary Anthony Galleries, SoHo, NY
Bucks County Sculpture Show, Doylestown, PA
Stairway to Dedication was shown in the PA State Capitol, East Wing Rotunda, Harrisburg, PA, 2006
Jumping for Joy is on permanent public display at the Pearl S. Buck House, Perkasie, PA
The Fiddler and Little Sister are on permanent public display, Village Art Works, Peddlers Village, Lahaska, PA