Jim Norton was born on New Year’s Eve in 1953, the first of six children, in the small coal-mining town of Price, Utah. Since his father was a miner, the family traveled around the western states, living in Sunnyside, Utah; Carlsbad, New Mexico; Moab, Utah; Rock Springs, Wyoming; and Lyman, Wyoming. While each of these places left memories, Lyman was where Jim attended high school and first began to experiment with paint and color. It is also in Lyman that Jim helped his friends with ranch chores, learning firsthand some of the things his paintings now depict.

Jim was inspired by his grandfather, Earl Fausett, as well as his cousins Lynn Fausett and Dean Fausett, all accomplished artists who generously shared their knowledge with the young painter who was intrigued by color and form.

After graduating from Lyman High School, Jim attended Western Wyoming College in Rock Springs, Wyoming, where he began his formal art education. He became restless and left school before graduation to go to Australia, where he lived for two years.

When he returned home, Jim attended Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah for two years. He also took instruction from William Whitaker and Conrad Schwiering. A perpetual student of nature and art, he can turn any trip into a cultural and educational experience. He frequently packs into the Canadian and US Rockies searching for new material.

A member of the Northwest Rendezvous Group, Jim received the prestigious Juror’s Choice Award from Lowell Ellsworth Smith in 1986. His work is represented in several major collections throughout the United States and Canada. He lives in Utah with his wife and four children. In 2002, his work was selected for exhibition at the Autry Museum of the American West in Los Angeles.