Jim Koehn was born in Pennsylvania and grew up in Carson City, Michigan, a small town near the center of the state. As a child he would pass many of his afternoons playing, as kids do, but also doing endless drawings of everyday things in his life. There were drawings of the cars he’d see on the streets, the houses in his neighborhood and the many objects that make up life in rural Michigan. He had a nearly obsessive desire to find and draw as many of his subjects as he could. Jim went on to study Industrial Design and Art at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo and eventually made his way to Houston in 1981.
Houston was booming and Jim wasted no time photographing and painting historic buildings and street scenes of the bustling new city he now calls home. This process led to his fascination with the old movie theaters, relics of the past, nestled within their modern surroundings. “I was scouring the neighborhoods for all of these old theaters which in retrospect, probably were a reminder of life back home, and I was constantly amazed at the way this big city surrounded and co-existed with these small town treasures. I got hooked on the pursuit and the creative possibilities the old theaters presented and how they looked completely different and alive lit up at night in contrast to their daytime settings.” He pursued these new found treasures with a passion, eventually finding more than 800 theaters throughout the country. He still maps out back roads while on vacation with his family in hopes he’ll find another for his vast collection.
He has painted over 150 of his subjects which have found their way into the hands of patrons trying to capture a piece of their past. He has found a niche in personalizing many of these commissions to reflect the individual collector’s own fond memories of their favorite old movie house or film on the marquee.
Through the years he has expanded on his commissions to include all things nostalgic. He has painted family businesses, family homesteads, favorite watering holes, vacation memories and vintage automobiles, finding the possibilities endless. “I really enjoy working with people to help them create a special and personal work of art for their collections. I think a lot of people really like the fact that they’re directly involved in the process.”
Jim has always painted a variety of subject matter to keep things fresh and interesting. One series he enjoys and which has shown interest and momentum is his unique style of portrait paintings. These are high contrast, black and white pop art images of various music, film and sports personalities. Again, Jim has found a way to personalize commission requests, and has painted many stylized portraits of clients’ friends, families and relatives.....and of course, their favorite musicians.
Jim still calls the Houston area his home, living in the small town community of Bellaire with his wife, Melanie and their two daughters.
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"Call about having your family business, family home or other nostalgic building or scene Commissioned to create a unique and personal family heirloom."
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