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2427 Bissonnet • Houston, TX 77005
713.942.8885 • 1.866.942.8885 Toll Free
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BIOGRAPHY
Jim Tweedy
 Birthplace: Covington, Louisiana, 1958
Jim Tweedy grew up in south Louisiana in a small town just north of New Orleans. His training as an artist actually began as a small child with lessons from his father, Byron Tweedy, a former Disney animator from the 1930's. He completed his formal art education at the New Orleans Art Institute under the watchful eye of Walter Labiche, a retired NASA illustrator. In 1980, Jim went to work as a commercial artist.
In 1991, Jim left behind a successful career as graphic designer and illustrator and devoted all of his creative energy into painting. His early works included jazz musicians and sports art. But his inspiration came from his studio cat, "Charlie."  In May of 1992 Jim created, "Charlie the RedCat." The bright red portrait was intended as somewhat of a joke, but the day it was displayed, orders for commissions began coming in. Now, more than 700 Charlie the RedCat original paintings have been created and sold and dozens of RedCat prints are available. In addition, Jim has written and had published two Charlie the RedCat books. The Charlie image has been made into merchandise ranging from umbrellas and slippers to plush dolls and shirts. In 2000, Jim's RedCat art was the subject of a documentary on "The Animal Planet Network."
Despite his success with Charlie the RedCat, something was missing. As much as Jim loved his cat, and enjoyed painting him, he also had a soft spot in his heart for "man's best friend."  With that in mind, in 2001 he began developing, "Jim Tweedy's Friendly Doggies." Why? Because frankly, man cannot live by cat alone. Today, these funny off the wall cartoon dog paintings have become tremendously popular, and sell out in shows across the country.
For the most part, the Friendly Doggies are paintined in watercolor, however, a few of them are rendered in acrylic on canvas. "It all depends on exactly what the Doggies are up to," says Tweedy. "If I think the action in the painting calls for bold colors to get the point across, I'll go to acrylic. Even though my main goal is to put a smile on your face, the paintings are more than just about funny cartoons. The backgrounds and the settings my Doggies are in are every bit as important as the cartoons themselves. I consider them serious paintings from an artistic standpoint. Each one is an important work of art to me; appropriate enough to be hung in any room or office."
Today, Jim lives in Mandeville, Louisiana, with his wife, Robyn and their four children. And, oh yes, he still has his cat, Charlie.
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Copyright © 2003 by Hollywood Frame Gallery, Inc.
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