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Last of the ninth, bases loaded, two out. Your team will win the game if you get this batter out. You run the count to 3 and 2. Eyes on the target, you wind up and throw your best pitch . . . a fast ball. He swings and misses! Jim Daly captures a moment every little boy dreams about in "Fast Ball," a nostalgic scene based on his own childhood. "I have fond memories of playing baseball in an old vacant lot on the outskirts of town," says Jim. "Like lots of kids, the heroes of my youth were the great baseball players of the past."
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Soft-spoken and modest, Jim Daly would seem a reluctant celebrity. Still, his
tender and nostalgic portrayals of children have earned him a wide and ardent
following among collectors. Born in Oklahoma and raised throughout the West,
Jim developed an early appreciation for the art of Norman Rockwell and at a
young age knew he wanted to be a painter himself. He can recall—and his parents
still own—a painting he did at age 13 of an old-fashioned barbershop. “Even
back then,” he says, “I had an interest in the past ... and I still prefer the
warm palette I used then.” After a stint in the army in the mid-1960s, Jim
studied nights at the Los Angeles Art Center College of Design while working
days at an aerospace company. Within just a few years, he was able to devote
himself entirely to his art. His wife, Carole, and their four now-grown sons
frequently modeled for him. Jim’s paintings are represented in many private and
corporate collections and have earned a wealth of awards, including the Favell
Museum’s Western Heritage Award for excellence in portraying realistically and
accurately early Americana. Articles about Jim’s work have appeared in
Southwest Art, American Artist and Art West magazines among others and in a
recent U.S. Art magazine poll, gallery owners named him one of their top 20
most popular artists. Jim has also had the pleasure of illustrating three well-
received children’s books. He and Carole currently make their home in western
Oregon.
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