Comments:
Q. What's a former New York art director doing in Hawaii?
A. Trying to afford the greens fees (golfer jargon.)
Jim is a graduate of Pratt Institute in Brooklyn. While working in Manhattan as a messenger for an art studio, an opening for a staff artist in the "bullpen" at Cunningham & Walsh Advertising presented itself. Jim took the job, eventually advancing to Art Director, then Art Group Supervisor.
In 1967, David Ogilvy "beckoned" him to Ogilvy & Mather where he enjoyed 13 years. In 1980 Jim was offered the position of Creative Director, Ogilvy & Mather Hawaii and (surprise!) accepted the transfer.
Since 1981, Jim has been working on his own, doing advertising, graphic design, some photography, some illustration ~ even writing. And in recent years, designing and maintaining his website which promotes his 3 Maui condos.
During the course of his career, on the mainland and in Hawaii, Jim has been the recipient of innumerable awards for his work. He has been honored by the prestigious New York Art Director's Club, CA Annual, Print Annual, the Chicago Art Director's Club, the Pittsburgh Art Director's Club, Best In The West Annual, and the Pele Awards as well as the Ilima Awards in Honolulu. Since retiring from his advertising and graphic design career, Jim has been promoting his three Maui condo rentals through his website.
To satisfy his creative appetite, he joined the Honolulu Printmakers. In a workshop environment Jim has learned printmaking techniques including etching, aquatint, embossing and photogravure. Jim's efforts in these areas have resulted in his works being included in the juried 77th, 78th, and 79th Honolulu Printmakers Annual shows. In the 77th Annual Show, he was awarded the HonBlue purchase award.
In March 2007, the Center for Contemporary Printmaking in Norwalk, CT held their Sixth Annual Miniature Print Biennial in which Jim was awarded third prize. 130 works were displayed out of 548 entries from 180 artists living in 18 countries. This year's judge was the esteemed David Kiehl, curator of prints at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City. The show had an upbeat review in the Arts and Entertainment section of the April 29, 2007 Sunday New York Times. The reviewer described the print "Fantasy Hibiscus," as a "lush, colored photogravure of a flower by Jim Egan from Hawaii, striking a balance between mastery of technique and innovation."
His golf game? That's a whole other story!
