Artist Residencies
America’s public lands are a unique part of the American experience. This body of work is dedicated to exploring and celebrating our parks. I aim to create work that encourages and inspires people to engage with nature. My work is based on expressionism over photorealism. I want to capture what it feels like to be outside. These paintings are from my personal travels and my time as an artist in residency with the national park system.
Jaime has had the opportunity to do serval artist residencies with the National Park Service. There is a long history of the National Park Service using artists to help spread the word about the parks and advocate for conservation within our public lands.
Voices of the Wilderness Artist Residency - US Forestry Service Prince William Sound Alaska
- Jaime spent 2 weeks in the Alaskan backcountry camping, kayaking, and painting in Prince William sound Alaska, in the area where the Exxon Valdez oil spill was. Two weeks without a shower was totally worth it to see a humpback whale, a tsunami risk zone because of the receding glaciers, and bonding with the marmots.
Hot Spring National Park - Hot Springs Arkansas
- Hot Springs in the oldest continually functioning federal park site. Jaime spent two weeks creating art and exploring this unique urban park. She even took a traditional hot bath in a bathouse exactly how people used to experience these springs 110 years ago and yes, this bath involved nudity. This is the only park that has mob connections and women of ill repute. Interestingly it was also the site of the first park ranger who was killed while on the job.
Stones River National Battle Field - Murfreesboro Tennessee
- Jaime spent a week sleeping next to a very old cemetery in park housing painting and walking a battlefield. Its hard to reconcile that a place so beautiful was a place of some much death and destruction. Also, I feel certain this place is haunted.
Fire Island National Seashore - Long Island New York
- Jaime spent two weeks staying in a house on this island that doesn’t have any cars. This was the quietest and most restful residency. Her days were spent collecting balloons washed on shore, sea glass, and painting. The national seashore is far away from the wild and fun side of fire island. I didn’t get to hang out with drag queens (and I am a little sad about that).
Shenandoah National Park Virginia
- This park was designed to be an eastern park to rival those in the west. The mission was accomplished with sweeping views of the blue ridge mountain. Jaime spent three weeks hiking, backpacking, and painting in this large beautiful park. It is full of fascinating and complicated history and crimes. Making it perfect for a history and true crime nerd like jaime. She also managed to give herself her first concussion and got to visit an emergency room while in the area.
Let's Get to Know Each other
My paintings are based on real places. When I'm exploring the woods, I create sketches that serve as the foundation for my finished acrylic paintings. Expressionism over photorealism.
Artist Bio
Jaime Barks grew up roaming the foothills of the Smoky Mountains. Those countless hours she spent wandering the woods as a child are evident in her work. After nearly a decade working in the non-profit world, Jaime decided to pursue her childhood love of art. She seeks to bring her passion for the natural world to people by reminding them to stop and experience their surroundings. Her work is based on places she has been, she uses a combination of reference images and sketches done on location to capture the feeling of a place. Living in Chattanooga’s North Shore provides her countless opportunities to experience nature from running on the walking bridge to hiking on Stringer's Ridge. Since making the leap into the life of a full-time artist Jaime has shown work at various art festivals, gallery shows, juried events, and public art displays. Her paintings are in both private and public collections. She has also had the opportunity to be an artist in residency with the US Forest Service in Alaska, Hot Springs National Park in Arkansas, Stone River National Battle Field in Murfreesboro, TN, and Shennandoah National Park in Virgina.
