Rain Dance came about as Jim found inspiration in the memory of a trip he took in 1995. As part of the agri-business community, Jim had a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to travel to eight locations in Australia. He was with a group that was speaking about new technology for satellite imaging of soils, which allowed for more efficient application of product. During the trip, he visited Uluru (also called Ayers Rock) in the Australian Outback. He learned about the spiritual nature of this well-known rock formation and was fascinated by its beauty, as well as by its spiritual connection to the Aboriginal people in that area. Uluru is a sacred part of their origin story.

As someone who has spent his life connected to the land, and his career working with others who are similarly connected to the land, Jim has a reverence for native people, their customs and traditions. That was his inspiration on the particular day he created Rain Dance from the random brushstrokes on the canvas before him. “I could envision early societies. I could see a native dance, perhaps at night in front of a fire,” he explains. “The title came to me before the painting was finished.”

Read more the blog: RESPECT FOR NATIVE PEOPLE, THEIR CUSTOMS AND CONNECTION TO THE LAND