ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: December 2023

 Jim Behrman is an assemblage artist who was born in 1954 and has lived in the Inland Empire since 1961. He is retired from his career welding and repairing cranes and now has more time to spend on his artwork. He has been creating robots from found objects for the last 14 years and his work has become highly collected amongst the arts community in Riverside. Jim spends about 4 to 5 hours a day working on his art and finds immense satisfaction in assembling parts to fit together that do not necessarily belong together, which allows him to create something from his imagination. His works are surrealistic and reminiscent of the works of the Dada artists who flourished in the nonsensical style, creating works that inspire the imagination and challenge the norm of everyday life. He also finds inspiration in other areas in life such as in movies and books. He loves Syfy, specifically, which led to his inspiration in creating robots from found objects.

Jim regularly takes his robot creations to art events in Riverside and Redlands and has his artworks on display at Division 9 Gallery and Riverside Community Art Association (RCAA) in Downtown Riverside.Jim does 7 events minimum per year in Riverside alone and has been involved with art events in general for approximately10 years. Events he has participated in include the Riverside Insect Fair, Riverside Art & Music Festival, Riverside Day of the Dead and many more.

Jim has been able to generate an income through his unique assemblage robots, achieving one of the dreams of a working artist. One of the perks that he finds through his art career, however, is not just the money but also that he is able to meet a lot of wonderful people and visit other artists when he sets up at events. When asked what his ultimate goal of working in the arts was, Jim responded that his hope for the future is to stay physically able to continue to create his art as long as possible. 

For more information, visit Jim on IG  @drstrangebot