ArcticRefuge.art mourns the passing of Jim Behlke in March 2022. Jim was a well-known and respected artist in Alaska, Canada, and the Pacific Northwest, and was a founding contributor to this website in 2001.

From the Georgia Blue Gallery retrospective show, September 2024:

Jim was an Alaskan who moved to Seattle in 2017. Born in Corvallis, Oregon, Jim grew up in Fairbanks where he discovered his talent for art and studied printmaking at UAF [University of Alaska Fairbanks]. He went on to get his MFA at USC in Los Angeles. Jim captured images of the Arctic wilderness and atmospheric vistas in acrylic, watercolor, charcoal, and ink. His breathtaking landscapes hang in major Alaska museums as well as public and private collections. Jim experimented with art techniques that include stained canvas auroras, charcoal on canvas, digital drawing, midnight photography, and 360-degree painted birch logs. A meticulous woodworker, Jim crafted picture frames, furniture, and cabinetry. He also built a remote log cabin in the Alaska interior alongside his parents, Chuck and Jane Behlke. He was a passionate cook who was known for his elaborate paella dinners, sourdough pancakes, salmon, and gravlax.

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A full obituary may be found here.

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Updated 1 January 2026.