09/04/2026
Join us for First Friday at the Community Art Center of Switzerland County on Friday, September 4th from 6 to 9 pm. Meet Jim Day personally, along with other Art Center artists!
Jim Day chose Switzerland County as his home many years ago, where he and his wife Sharon have lived along a creek and decided an occasional flooded home was not to their liking. Then they settled in a cabin and eventually decided on an easier to maintain home on a ridgetop where Jim is comfortable now in his home studio. All of these moves were in Switzerland County.
Ever since Jim was a kid in Petersburg, Kentucky, he was fascinated with wildlife…the birds, animals and their place in nature. He was a hunter and outdoorsman and by the age of twelve was experimenting with taxidermy and learned the animal anatomy of many species. While yearning to explore his creative side, Jim worked for his dad in a water-hauling business for eight years and served another eight years in a factory before breaking away to put into action all those thoughts that kept him going while doing those mundane tasks.
Jim’s core idea was to re-create life-sized birds of prey mounted on nature inspired custom display bases. “I was always playing around with chicken feathers as a kid. I thought I could do something with them.” It took a while to master the craft of making realistic birds of prey from domestic chicken, turkey, and goose feathers, which he paints, cuts, trims and curves to the correct shape and color. He has perfected this craft to a fine art! He uses a resin polymer and felt for the armature of the body. The heads and feet are cast from original birds, when he has those available. Eagles and endangered birds are illegal to use, which Jim honors completely. Jim’s artistry as a re-creation bird artist has brought him international notoriety. Yet a desire within Jim to show his work locally has brought him to the Community Art Center at 217 Ferry Street in Vevay.
Come meet Jim Day on September 4th for First Friday where Jim is the Featured Artist. Open House from 6 to 9pm gives visitors the opportunity to meet Jim and hear more about his creative journey. You’ll also discover that Jim is an accomplished painter, depicting scenes of the West including Native American hunters and landscapes, as well as the avian world that showcases eagles, herons and nuthatches. Who knows what is next!
