Jim Cantrell paints primarily with oils and watercolors. He describes his technique as abstracted realism. His forte is the human figure, encompassing masterful composition & technique.
Henry Adams, of the Cleveland Museum of Art -- and biographer of Thomas Hart Benton -- describes Cantrell as "an artist who transforms raw tubes of paint into designs and images, filled with pattern, meaning, illusion, and pictorial depth. His nuances of color, texture, or shape take on a fascinating life of their own, similar to, and yet recognizably separate from, the world of actual things."
A native of Oklahoma and reared in eastern Nebraska, Cantrell earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln in 1958 and his Master of Arts degree from the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley in 1965 with a double emphasis in ceramics & painting. He began his distinguished career as a teacher.
In 1971, Bardstown made itself known to Jim Cantrell via a billboard on the Bluegrass Parkway which read "Visit Historic Bardstown." Little did he know then that the
Abbey of Gethsemani was only 12 miles away and would become a vital part of his life and work. Lifelong friendships began with the Trappist monks. Over the years, Jim has been commissioned to complete a number of artworks for the monastery, including three large oils depicting the history of the Cistercian Order. He has produced portraits of monks from the Abbey (including Thomas Merton), and numerous images of the Abbey in its Kentucky landscape.
Cantrell's paintings can be seen in major public and private collections. He has been the recipient of many awards, including two fellowship grants from the Kentucky Arts Council and from the Southern Arts Federation, and was selected to receive one of 15 prestigious Al Smith Art Fellowships for 2006.
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Jim Cantrell & Gethsemani Abbey: Etchings
