May 3 - June 22, 2024
From K Space Studio:
“Father/son duo Jim and Daniel Forsythe enjoyed an artistic dialog that spanned over 30 years. This show is a testament to their mutual respect, commitment to innovation, and love of the creative process. Jim was the primary overseer of Daniel’s artistic development. He noticed that Daniel had an unusual sensitivity to mark-making as soon as he began to scribble, around age 2. At age 3 years Daniel commenced a daily habit of drawing. Jim then encouraged Dan to start painting at age 4 and by the time he was 9 he’d established a daily watercolor practice. In the fullness of time the inevitable occurred: two highly talented and prolific artists joined the world of “Art Collaborators,” where the sum of the artistic whole is typically greater than its parts.
Daniel (1989- )was born with Down Syndrome, but that never stopped his parents from seeing his great potential and encouraging him to follow his dreams. He won his first art award at the Corpus Christi Art Center “All Membership Show” in 2005, in conjunction with his father Jim for their collaborative Work on Paper. He went on to take prizes of his own in high school art contests (2007), a VSA scholarship award (2009), and he was chosen by renowned gallerist Clint Willour as a Rockport Center for the Arts “Merit Artist” (2010). From an early age Daniel longed to work as a bagger at HEB; he will soon celebrate his 13th anniversary as an HEB Partner.
When asked to make an Artist Statement, Daniel said, “It feels good to make art work. I want to keep doing it the rest of my life. It’s what I love to do. I like to make Dad happy by painting every day. His work’s guided me all my life. I’m glad Dad pushed me to become an artist.”
Jim Forsythe’s (1956—2023) destiny as an artist was sealed in third grade, when he embroidered a realistic leopard lounging in an intricate jungle scene, with colored yarns on burlap. The teacher was wowed and informed Jim’s mother that art was—no doubt—Jim’s future. In 1983, after Jim swept every scholarship and award UT Austin Art Department had to offer, a fellow student commented, “Jim has an ego the size of St. Louis;” to which Jim replied, “That’s not a very big city.”
Jim was truly a creative juggernaut, devoted to many artistic endeavors: painting, sculpture, photography, graphic design, music, and most importantly the art of living with gusto. During his 33 year career as a graphic designer in the Coastal Bend, Jim won many Addy Awards in categories ranging from “Animation” to “Print” to “Ad Campaigns.” He served for many years as designer of record for KEDT Public Broadcasting and the Corpus Christi Symphony. Other notable clients were Kent Ullberg, Beeville Art Museum, Texas Jazz Festival, and Texas State Aquarium.
Jim loved the aesthetic flavor of ruined buildings, woebegone found objects (aka “trash”), and pieces of under-appreciated Texas wood scavenged from neighbors’ discard piles. But nothing lit Jim up like seeing the creativity in others, whether his own family members and friends, or the youngsters he met teaching summer workshops at K Space Contemporary. He was known for his generous positivity and encouraging ways; his critiques were almost always up-lifting, as his son Daniel can verify. During his final years, Jim spent more time on his musical interests. He met musicians from around the world via Wiki Loops and forged collaborative bonds with them as well. He amassed a huge collection of mesquite and other South Texas woods, which he milled himself, and aspired to creating custom guitars. Jim’s musical friends described him as a “Renaissance Man” who regarded everything that wasn’t art as a distraction. There is no more apt summation of the man, the artist, Jim Forsythe.
K Space Contemporary is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to presenting and promoting contemporary art. Gallery hours are Wednesday – Saturday 11 am to 5 pm and Sunday 12 to 4 pm. We are located at 623 N. Chaparral Street in downtown Corpus Christi, Texas. To learn more, please visit www.kspacecontemporary.org or follow us on Instagram or Facebook @kspacecontemporary.”
Reception: May 3, 2024 | 6–10 pm
415 Starr St # D
Corpus Christi, 78401 TX
(361) 887-6834
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