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A Reason to Collect Art

11/18/2015

5 Comments

 
Picture
​This batik image is a part of the collection of very interesting stuff in my house and a challenge to the question, “why do we collect art?”.  Measuring 37”h x 51”w, the artwork is by the late artist James Alan Nordmeyer. Created in the early 1980’s, it is a version of a lily pad and water theme with flying ribbons or banners that was common for the artist. This work is a little unique in that it is almost monochromatic – other similar works enjoyed a harmonic use of many colors, especially rich sky blues.
 
My late wife Nancy and I enjoyed it for many years in our Dunedin, Florida home. As I recall, we acquired this work at a Dunedin Fine Art Center (DFAC) Garden Party fundraiser, probably in the late ‘90’s. We knew numerous people through our work at DFAC who had Nordmeyer’s work displayed prominently in their homes. I believe Nancy knew Nordmeyer to some extent, but I don’t think I ever met him.
 
Nordmeyer was an accomplished artist who specialized in batik. Batik is a process by which the dyeing of cloth is controlled with wax, allowing images and designs to be created. In a 1978 article in the St. Petersburg Evening Independent by writer Jeanette Crane, Nordmeyer stated “I love the medium because of what wax does. Like watercolor, or like ceramic glazes, wax can be controlled.”
 
Peggy Mateer, a Dunedin Fine Art Center Past President, Junior League of Clearwater / Dunedin Sustainer, art patron and realtor, shared that Nordmeyer was an impressive teacher as well as an accomplished artist. Corinne Mateer, her husband Wayne’s mother, took batik and silk dyeing classes with Nordmeyer at DFAC in the early 1980’s. Peggy remembers him as tall, slim, handsome and very outgoing.
 
Bill Renc, a highly regarded area artist, knew Nordmeyer well. “James was a well-liked individual. We became good friends for many years. When Linda and I returned from our first trip to England in 1985, we heard of his death. After we touched down in Tampa, Linda’s mom told us of his obituary in the paper that morning.”
 
Nordmeyer was 36 years old when he died, one of the many early victims of AIDS. Born in Covington, Ky. Nordmeyer moved to Pinellas County in 1978. “Jim was an artist who solved the dilemma of plodding through one show to another, hoping to break free. He found success in sales, was collected by Raymond James Corporation and won First Place in the prestigious Festival of the Masters,” said Renc. Nordmeyer was selected to produce the now defunct Pinellas County Arts Council’s limited edition sponsor awards in the last year of his life. His work can be found in homes all over the Tampa Bay area and beyond.
 
According to his obituary in the St. Petersburg Evening Independent of June 15, 1985, Nordmeyer was quoted as saying, “…batiking was ‘manipulating the magic’.”
Nordmeyer’s brilliant images and his mastery of the batik medium were very popular.
“Jim would find long pieces of cloths or blankets, often with broad stripes on the fabric,” said Renc. “Friends held up corners of the long pieces of cloth and released them. Jim photographed them as they floated back down to the ground. He would use the images as inspiration for his work.”
 
Nordmeyer was also a regular participant in Dunedin’s Art Harvest Art Festival.  “As annual participants, we used to be able to request the same space each year at Art Harvest,” said Renc. “Right after Jim died, his regular spot was left unassigned with his name card in place.” It was a tribute to him from the Junior League of Clearwater / Dunedin who presented the art festival. A memorial exhibition was presented inside DFAC, made up of work found under his bed and borrowed from others. “I was assigned to frame everything,” laughed Renc. “I didn’t have enough of my own inventory that year, I was so busy getting Jim’s work ready for the exhibition.”
 
Bill’s wife Linda, also a highly regarded calligrapher and artist, remembers a quirk of Nordmeyer’s. “He went barefooted a lot,” she said.” His studio was his garage and his feet were often stained with procion dyes.”
 
My house is full of Florida art, made mostly by people we knew. Many were close friends and many of them are deceased. Nothing either one of us ever collected an artwork as a financial investment. It was about the people. This work is special to me as the artist is associated with the earlier years of the organization where Nancy and I spent the best nineteen years of our lives. The work remains both a favorite of mine and a reminder of an unfulfilled friendship.

5 Comments
Melanie Lazor
6/16/2017 08:18:51 am

I believ I have 3 of his batiks as well. One is of koi fish from 1981 and 2 others with the twisted clothes. I wish I could attach pictures. We also have batiks from Ron Rheames (I may have spelled that wrong) Are you familiar with him?

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mike averdick
7/5/2017 01:47:43 pm

Enjoyed your article on Jim Nordmeyer. We attended the same catholic schools...and were good friends in the 7th and 8th grades...trekking about Covington and Cincinnati. I remember showing Jim my vintage item haunts such as Goodwill and St. Vincent de Paul...and the Main Auction Galleries in Cincinnati. Jim was so very creative...making a Japanese garden behind his parents house perhaps before entering high school.. We saw each other a number of times when he came back and lived in Covington(seems like a short time) when we were nearing 30 years old or thereabouts. Jim invited me to at least one or two parties at that time...I may still have the invitations. He was always engaging and a lot of fun.

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Tiffany A Whelan
8/17/2018 01:50:09 pm

Hello, this is a very nice article. I am Jim Nordmeyer's niece. I just up and decided to search his name, which I have done every so many years. I am interested to know where some of his artwork ended up! I have several pieces of his as well. He was my favorite uncle, although he died before I really knew him very well. I loved seeing this story. I wanted to be an artist just like him, and now I am an art teacher and do my own art every now and then.

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Su Sheridan
12/8/2022 02:02:29 pm

Hello Tiffany,
I was looking for artwork created by Jim, your uncle. Jim was my dear friend in my first two years of college ( Northern) We took art together. We were involved in Young Friends of the Arts together and saw many plays and concerts.I have one artwork by Jim and would like to have more...I became an art teacher and just retired after 36 years of teaching middle school art. I have some wonderful pictures of us painting voltswagans and being free. Please let me know if you can connect me to some of his batik work. Stay warm and happy Su ( White) Sheridan

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R Knox
8/31/2018 02:34:40 pm

James Nordmeyer... I believe I knew him personally... he died suddenly from AIDs in the mid 1990s... such a shame, such talent gone forever perhaps unless Buddha was on to something behind the scenes. I lived on Clearwater Beach for 8 years during the 1980s, house-sitting - what luck.

Jim did beach towels blowing in the wind among other common Florida items.

Cheers regardless, and thanks for sharing this work online.

Rand

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