Jim Houston
Jim Houston was born in 1924 in Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin and now resides in Westport, Co. Mayo. He was educated at Castlepark Dalkey and at Fettes College Edinburgh, where he also attended art classes at the Studio of Fabian Ware. He graduated from Trinity College Dublin in 1951. Jim attended painting classes in The van Gogh Museum Amsterdam. Jim is very widely travelled and he has worked in New Zealand, The Netherlands, Mexico and The Middle East.Solo Exhibitions
| 2005 | Westport |
| 1998 | Stone Gallery Westport |
| 1995 | Westport Library |
| Sligo Art Gallery | |
| 1993 | The Kenny Gallery, Galway |
| 1990 | Municipal Gallery, Omagh |
| 1989 | Westport Arts Week |
Group Exhibitions
| Royal Hibernian Academy | 1988, 1989, 1992 and 1993 |
| Claremorris Open | |
| Hibernian Insurance Centre Dublin | 1992 |
| Iontas Small Works, Sligo | |
| Aimhirgin Gallery, Louisburgh | 1993 and 1994 |
| The Kenny Gallery, Galway |
Jim is currently represented in galleries in Belfast, Dublin, Cork and New York. His work is in private collections nationally and internationally.
"Art appreciation always should be free of pretension and those who visit art galleries require no specific education in order to decide what they like or dislike. For a painter to depict the colour, form and poetry of what he sees requires three things:
- A thorough knowledge of his craft and materials
- An awe or wonder at what he sees
- Absolute honesty
If these criteria are met, his own personal style will be apparent and whether or not it is admired, he can view it himself and know that this is what he wanted to say. If nobody wants to buy it, that is a separate matter entirely."
Jim Houston, November 2004