A former window cleaner who makes breath-taking pictures by using his finger to draw on steamed up windows has been accepted by the Royal Ulster Academy in Belfast.
Jim Osborne discovered his talent while boiling his kettle at his Co Donegal home.
He began scribbling with his finger on the condensation on his kitchen window and soon an image appeared which he took a photo of.
He framed the picture and presented it to his brother Tony as a present for his 50th birthday.
Word soon spread of Jim’s talent and he began to churn out more and more of the unique pictures.
Jim, now aged 61 and from Dunfanaghy, laughs “I have no training and if I had double glazing in my house I probably would never have discovered this talent. It’s my life now and I just love doing it and seeing where it takes me.”
He has had his work displayed in several galleries but to have one of his pictures, ‘Walkies’, accepted by the Royal Ulster Academy is the pinnacle of his career to date.
“It’s not about the money as much as I have to survive. But to be recognised by the people at the Royal Ulster Academy is what it is all about.
“To have your work endorsed and recognised by them is something that I simply never thought would happen in my wildest dreams,” he said.
Jim admits that he could do twenty drawings and only be happy with one of them.
“The slip of a finger could ruin what could potentially be something that could be very good but you have to accept that.
“The thing is that each one is unique and captures a unique moment in time,” he said.
A number of other Donegal artists including Philip Mackey, Christy Keeney, Brian Gallagher and Emer Smith have also had their work chosen to be displayed by the Royal Ulster Academy this year.
The 137th annual exhibition of the Royal Ulster Academy takes place from October 19th, 2018 to January 6th at the Ulster Museum in Botanic Gardens, Belfast.
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