James Theodore Elrod (American/Georgia, 1952 to 2000)
Jim was born in Atlanta, Georgia on November 30, 1952. He was the second son to Charles and Gloria Elrod. Jim was raised off Stewart Avenue and graduated from Sylvan High School in 1970. His passion was the Woodstock era and the movements that came with that style of music and flower children effect. Most of his early art, consisted of flowers and pottery paintings from that era. Jim’s art brought out the happier times in his life. One of the fondest paintings centered around a Navy leave homecoming from his dad meeting his mother at the house. Jim spent a lot of his early years at his grandparent’s house on Roswell Road in which he did a painting of those moments.
In later years, Jim grew to be a loner and resided in a singlewide modular home in Douglasville, Georgia from the middle 1970′s up until 1999. During that time frame, Jim spent most all of his days and nights reflecting on happy memories. There were so many times my mother would ask that I go by and check on him because days, sometimes weeks, would pass before he would take himself away from his painting. His love for his painting would take him to another place in time. Hours, days and weeks ran together as if time stood still.
Christmas and birthdays would light up with paintings Jim would present to his nieces, nephews and other family members. It was such a joy to receive these paintings, as we all knew they were from his heart and were thoughts for that particular individual. Priceless memories.
Jim moved to St. Simons Island, Georgia with his mother in early 1999 after the passing of his father in 1998. Galleries throughout St. Simons Island has [have] displayed Jim’s paintings consisting of Christ Church, The Lighthouse and the Pier, which are historic landmarks on St. Simons Island.
In 2000, Jim wrote a short letter to Britt (our older brother) and me. In this letter he expressed his feelings and how his art was the only happiness he endured and that his work was complete. Jim took his life the following day, which was on a Sunday.
The following Monday I went to the galleries on St. Simons Island and brought all his artwork back to Villa Rica, Georgia to be stored. In memory to my brother, I would like for his work to be seen again. Hopefully you and others will see and be touched by the passion Jim had for his work throughout his paintings.
Biography by: John B. Elrod (brother of the artist).
Information courtesy of Charlton Hall Galleries, Inc., June 2008.