Life & Work with James Niehues

Today we’d like to introduce you to James Niehues.

Hi James, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Growing up on the Western Slope, I had always been an admirer of the landscapes around me. In 1987, after a couple of years in Denver, I looked up Bill Brown, the ski map illustrator at the time. I had known and admired his depictions of the slopes, though I was not a skier. I was a freelance artist/graphic designer looking for some work. As it turned out Bill’s passion had turned to video production of narrow gauge railroad films. He was impressed with my portfolio and within a month at the age of 40 I had a completely new career.

It was a bit intimidating but I was excited to jump in and learn on the fly. A short time later a new magazine was introduced, Snow Country Magazine. John Fry, the editor called Bill to paint a monthly full-page spread. Bill referred him to me and suddenly I had not only a monthly project but exposure directly to the ski market for trail maps. My timing could not have been more perfect. My wife, Dora was still employed to make ends meet but soon it was obvious to keep up with the influx of jobs we had to take a chance and commit to being self-employed. She took on many tasks needed to run a business so I could concentrate on visiting, photographing, sketching, and painting the resorts. I could not have done it without her.

The ski industry is a small one supporting only one artist. Hal Shelton was the first through the 60s, then Bill for a decade. Once a trail map is painted the resort will use it for years so your market shrinks. My very first contract on my own was in Boreal, California which is still in use today. Demand was always unpredictable and although many good years there were times I thought I would have to pick up an extra job to get us through. By 2000 computer-generated maps were coming onboard and many resorts felt they were the wave of the future. But they did not represent the resort’s amenities as well as a hand-painted map and after a few years my schedule filled again. A ski map is the most used image a resort has and is its “fingerprint”. No other image is as unique to the resort. A slogan I used early on was “A quality trail map reflects a quality ski experience.” I owe my success to timing, luck, hard work, help from others…and the years of developing my talent to blossom at the right opportunity.

After 35 years and 200 resorts, I have retired and now pursuing a lifelong dream of rendering Iconic American Landscapes. Initially, the goal was 50 most popular and scenic places in America. I am now at 54 and my list just gets longer. So many great places to visit and experience. They are sketches for several reasons: One, at 77, I just don’t have enough time to paint all that I want to do. Two, The sketch phase of any project is the most creative. It’s where the composition is worked out and, as I have done with the ski maps, perspectives are manipulated to see more of the subject. Three: The challenge to represent the mood, dynamics, and experience exquisitely in basic, simple black and white.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
The steps in hand painting a ski map: Aerial photography is essential in my process. I will visit the ski resort, ski around the mountain then photograph it from above. At an altitude of 500 to 2,000 feet the summit, depending on the size of the resort, I will take full-resort images from different perspectives, then drop to the summit or 500 ft above for detail of the top slopes. The next level of flight is mid-mountain for detail of the lower slopes and base facilities. At least 100 shots are taken of which I will study and select views for reference.

Then, I will reference site plans and layout the lift locations, making sure that enough area is left between to draw in the individual runs. It’s at this point that the perspective is manipulated to show areas behind ridges or to swing open opposing slopes. The comprehensive sketch is drawn and sent out for approval. After input, the alterations will be incorporated and the sketch is transferred onto a Gesso-coated illustration board. The sky is airbrushed first, then the snow’s surface. The next step is to paint all the tree shadows. Then come the rock features and trees as I work my way down the slopes to the buildings at the base. Once this image is approved I take the painting to the photoshop for 100 meg scans which I increase to 300 megs for an image that can be displayed on mountain signage. I do not add the layers of names and symbols which are added by graphic artists at the resort.

I am most proud of the fact that after 35 years, hand-painted ski maps are still considered the best image to portray what the resort has to offer as well as guide the skier around the resort. Computers have not surpassed the creative and artistic representation of hand-painted maps. One exclamation may be that to make an impressive and accurately representative map you have to paint it like it skis, even though many elements are manipulated from actual dimensions. Plus, the brush better renders the great outdoors.

I have served the ski industry for 35 years and it has been very rewarding. I am humbled to have been inducted into the National Ski and snowboard hall of Fame and the Colorado snowsports hall of Fame. The book that has been a dream since 1995 has been published and continues to do well.

Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
That patience is rewarded. A large resort takes 3 weeks to paint, let alone the preliminary steps. This attention to detail and quality has proved to have longevity into decades of use.

Contact Info:

• Website: jamesniehues.com
• Facebook: James Niehues