A native of Atlanta, Jim Schell is a self-taught painter. His first job as an artist was drawing for the old Atlanta Georgian newspaper at the age of 12. When he was 14, he studied for a summer at the Detroit Art Academy under the director Carlos Lopez, a muralist-painter. Mr. Schell later became an illustrator on Pacific Stars and Stripes in World War II.

When he returned to Atlanta he co-founded Kirkland, White, and Schell Advertising Agency, receiving numerous national and regional awards for illustration and design. In 1982, he retired to devote his time to oil portraits, many of which have appeared on the cover of Business Atlanta and in American Artist Magazine.

Mr. Schell's art combines masterful drawing with a wonderful sense of color and design. With confidence that comes from many years of experience, he captures the essence of the model's likeness on canvas with a light sketching of charcoal and sure use of color in his brushwork.

Jim Schell is a highly honored member of the Portrait Society of Atlanta where he is a Member of Excellence and an Advisory Board Member. He has also been a member of the Abernathy Arts Center teaching staff for over 20 years. Jim continues to inspire and motivate his students, many of whom are already accomplished painters.