Jim Demetro depicts a mother with her child
Battle Ground Artist Jim Demetro with his bronze sculpture of Captain George Vancouver.
Jim Demetro receives a Lifetime Achievement Award from Commissioner Barbara Wright on Jan. 3.
On Jan. 3 Battle Ground artist and bronze specialist Jim Demetro was honored at the Clark County Council meeting with the Clark County Arts Commission’s 2016 Lifetime Achievement Award.
Much of Demetro’s work has educational components and incorporates water, ethnic groups, and interactive elements like water and fire. He attributes the quality of his craftsmanship to a “close focus of sculpting in clay 100 percent by hand and using live models whenever possible,” as stated on his website.
After growing up in a low income area of south Chicago, and losing both parents before the age of 20, he learned to overcome adversity with hard work and graduated from the Milwaukee School of Engineering. As an engineer he traveled around the world, seeing and learning about art, which would later influence his path as an artist.
In 1992 Demetro decided to pursue a fulltime career as a fine arts sculptor and was joined by his daughter to assist him with larger projects. The father-daughter team has now been sculpting for over 25 years.
Demetro’s work can be seen all across the Pacific Northwest, and in a few locations across the United States and even the world — Mexico, Finland and the Na’ Aina Kai Botanical Gardens in Hawaii to name a few.
His work is also owned by a number of notable private collectors including Nike founder Phil Knight and actor Tom Cruise.
“I choose bronze as my medium of expression because it has the exceptional qualities of high detail, flexibility, and longevity. Bronze art has withstood the test of time for thousands of years,” Demetro is quoted as saying of his chosen medium on his website.
For Demetro’s complete backstory and to view his portfolio, visit www.demetro.net.
