Jim Oberst was born, raised, educated, and married in New York City. During his technical career, he taught electronics and systems theory at Polytechnic University of New York, and managed circuit and software development at Bell Labs, AT&T, and Lucent Technologies.

Before moving to Arkansas, Jim and his wife Jeanette lived in New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and finally Ohio, as well as doing a two-year stint in Saudi Arabia. They have three adult children and a grandson, all currently residing in the Columbus, Ohio area. Jim is a private pilot, and flies a Glasair airplane that he built. After retiring in 2001, Jim and Jeanette moved south to Hot Springs Village, Arkansas. Having always admired the brilliance and transparency of watercolor, and the "loose" approach to painting, Jim finally found the time to pursue watercolor painting in a serious way. He began his art studies at National Park Community College in Hot Springs, Arkansas, with Ovita Goolsby and Thad Flenniken. He has also studied in workshops presented by a number of nationally known artists including Gary Simmons, Richard Stephens, Karlyn Holman, Ted Nuttall, Joseph Fettingis, and Tony Couch. He believes that all successful artists are constantly learning and improving their art. Jim is both a landscape and figurative artist. He produces paintings of pleasing landscape subjects -- especially scenes representing the beautiful Ouachita Mountains area in Arkansas -- in an impressionistic style. He also paints people in a more realistic style, as he is concerned with capturing both the likeness and the spirit of his subjects. Jim is a member of the Artist's Workshop Gallery, the Hot Springs Village Brush Strokes art club, the Hot Springs Fine Arts Center, and the Mid-Southern Watercolorists. He personally designed and maintains a website devoted to his art at www.jimoberst.com.

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