Abstract Visionist Fine Art Painter

Jim Aylward’s work explores imagination through bold color, intuitive abstraction, and symbolic form. Working under the framework he calls Abstract Visionism, Aylward emphasizes internal vision over realism, allowing color, movement, and symbolic suggestion to emerge organically. His Palette Intrigue Portfolio series assembles spontaneous panels into cohesive composite works, revealing coherence born from freedom and inviting viewers to engage their own imagination rather than decode fixed narratives.  A native of the Boston and a long-time seasonal resident of Nantucket island, Jim and his wife Kija Kim moved to Naples, Florida in 2018.

Jim has been painting since 2010 when he was a student of Judy Ryan at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.  His style has evolved from primarily abstract expressionism, occasionally channeling Jasper Johns and Willem de Kooning among others, to a new genre created by Jim called "Abstract Visionism". 

Jim is the founder of the Quail West Arts Association (QWAA, Naples, FL), and has exhibited at multiple QWAA sponsored events.  He is a member of the Naples Art Association and the American Impressionist Society. He has exhibited at the Cecelia Joyce & Seward Johnson Gallery on Nantucket and has participated in the Nantucket Plein Air Festival.  He has exhibited at Chef Andy Hyde’s “Hyde n Chic” restaurant in Naples, FL.    

Jim paints primarily with acrylics on canvas and linen, using bold colors to express his creative and emotional self.  He has developed a series of Hero Paintings dedicated to U.S. military veterans, heroes on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic and other everyday heroes.