Jim Wright was born in Scotland, his family moved to Perth Western Australia in the late sixties. From an early age he showed a natural talent for art and music, he chose to follow a career in art, training at the Perth College of Art and Design. He returned to Britain working in the field of graphic design and illustration for heritage and conservation shows, (his work for Jersey Zoo won him the award for best AV illustrations).

In 1998 he moved the Kirkbymoorside on the edge of the North Yorkshire Moors National Park, where he is ideally located to tap into the rich variety of landscapes and seascapes, and has become widely known for his portrayal of this area.

Light is one of the most important elements in Wright's work particularly the quality of the early mornings and the late evenings. He works with a variety of mediums, often beginning with a light wash in oils, then adding layers of pastels. Recently he has worked on heavily texturised pieces, which in addition to the oils and pastels, have layers of wax with natural materials embedded. His work portrays the mood and atmosphere in a scene with a free and spontaneous quality.

Jim Wright has exhibited widely across the North east, Manchester and Derbyshire. His work has won a 'Highly Commanded' in the Laing Exhibition (2000), a national exhibition for landscapes and seascapes. He has had a number of works at the Mall Galleries London. He has a large number of works in private collections in London, the North East and abroad.