James Mazzotta

JIM MAZZOTTA grew up by the “shore” in South Jersey soaking in all the crazy people and sights that inhabited the hot summers by the boardwalk in the 60s and 70s. All this provided a colorful backdrop in which to grow up while attending Catholic School fiercely patrolled by menacing nuns .The carnival atmosphere, sounds, smells, and colors delivered Jim lots of raw creative material to work with as a young artist. Jim made landfall at another beach shaded with palms in SW Florida. While working in the newspaper business as a political cartoonist, illustrator, photo editor and chief bottle washer for anything thatrequired his visual talents, his award winning work appeared in the NY Times, US News, London Times and many other national publications. Today Jim and his artist wife, Kathleen, own and operate their island art gallery steps from the Gulf of Mexico. They often collaborate on art projects.
Back in the early 80s, Jim pioneered a new direction in screen printed images with his vibrant, highly detailed airbrushed art. He melded his realistic and humorous takes on the beach lifestyle with the lyrics of Jimmy Buffet. The result was illustrated stories of escaping to relaxed ports of call. His visual narration depicts imaginative destinations to laid back locales inhabited by humorous characters or a lone schooner plying turquoise waters. The unmistakable, original look and tradition of Jim’s storytelling style continues today with LOWER LATITUDES. Parrots, Pirates, Parties and Poetic scenes fill a whole new itinerary of imaginative escapes. Come aboard and set your compass to escape!