February 2024 3-D Featured Artist Jim Crawford

Jim Crawford studied marine biology and later worked as a marine biologist in Jamaica, Bermuda, Hawaii, and in Honduras where he was the director of the Whale Shark and Oceanic Research Center (WSORC) on the island of Utila.

Now a retired professor, marine biologist, and SCUBA instructor, Jim uses his photos and experiences underwater to create life-like sculptures of his ocean friends. Many of his sculptures are first carved in wood. He then makes a rubber mold of the original, and using the lost wax method, he casts the piece in bronze. The bronze sculpture is then sanded and finished with an acid patina, which gives it a unique look and color.

He is a self-taught artist. He began wood carving when he was very young and turned professional at the age of five. He has participated in hundreds of art shows across the county and has won numerous awards. His art techniques and finished works are unique. He has received several art grants to help fund his art studio.

Jim has served on the board of the Hillsborough County Arts Council in Tampa and has been commissioned by the owner of the Tampa Bay Ray’s baseball team. He is an active member of the Miniature Artists of America (MAA), the Miniature Art Society of Florida (MASF), and the Miniature Painters, Sculptors, and Gravers Society (MPSGS).