So I think that's a lot of it. Yes, models of the ski trails could be made much faster by computer, but Niehues says the painter can do so much more. To purchase, go to and use the code Skiing History. Revered by the likes of Chris Davenport, Niehues has just released a book, The Man Behind the Maps, which exposes the intricate processes behind the niche genre that he dominates and allows the reader to revel in the intricate detail, masterful watercolours and pure beauty of these everyday artworks. The normal turnaround on these are going to be, you know, a month, two to three months actual painting time anywhere from like a small ski area. The further afield I went, the more I felt at home, because the familiar sight of intricately painted and incredibly accurate trees, chutes, peaks, and that enigmatic signature accompanied each journey.
And I won't ask you for your favorite Utah resort, but do you have a particular memory of a Utah ski resort over your career? The airbrush is then used to paint the sky and all the snow's undulating surfaces. Once the sketch is transferred to the painting surface, I work with an airbrush to paint the sky and all the snow's undulating surfaces. Did you have an opportunity to go on a book tour or sign some autographs and really kick the thing off? All these different perspectives flow together to create the final composition, which will effectively navigate the skier to different parts of the mountain, ' says James, who spends about a week painting each mapwith intricate detail, including hand-painting the trees between the runs. Tom Kelly: |00:27:53| I'm looking now at the Utah state map that is in the book Man Behind the Maps. Working from aerial photography, preferably his own, he perfected a process many have imitated but none have bettered. There's a reason why most trail maps in use today have a similar look and feel; James has painted over 200 of them during the course of his lifetime. In the final rendering, using a brush and airbrush allows for a wider range of texture and colour variation, to better express the natural beauty of the mountain and the experience of getting out on the slopes.
And I thought, Oh yeah, sure. So, you know, I just stayed right on in there. Tell us about that particular project where you had to document all of the ski Utah resorts. Flicking through the maps rekindle s fo nd memories and the joy of many winter s spent etching ski tracks a top those beautifully rendered mountain flanks. 'The Man Behind the Maps' costs £85 on Amazon UK, or you can order via James' website, Excellent quality book and illustrations (ski maps) from the preeminent ski map artist whose life's work is featured. So it just produces snow. Jim Niehues: |00:00:46| No, I've kind of hung up my skis. He draws and paints them by hand.
Your miniature artworks both adorn the walls of ski legends like Chris Davenport and litter the ground below chairlifts. In engaging narrative that complements the maps, Niehues reveals his exacting technique, which demands up to six weeks to complete a single painting. It's a no brainer for ski lodges and resort accommodation, and just a great gift for any skier or rider, maybe even more so in these COVID-19 times. Jim's mastery of perspective allow s him to distill the luminous beauty of each mountain's facet s into just one or two panoramas. In fact, I thought I was pretty good because at the end of the course, they had a little contest there and I had the fastest time down.
We'll be right back on Last Chair. A key phase of map painting is transferring from aerial photographs to the canvas itself, utilizing a projection system. Collecting and admiring the maps had enriched my life as a skier and I mulled over how I could further support the legacy of Niehues' work or even speak to the legend himself. While gazing upon these maps I would always wonder what conditions I may encounter. You've said that the dynamics you see in your aerial photographs sometimes need to be stretched to portray terrain as it actually skis. The book showcases his exacting process, in which he first captures aerial shots and then explores the mountain himself before painstakingly illustrating every run, chairlift, tree and cliff band by hand. The visually stunning, near 300-page coffee table book showcasing over 200 iconic ski resort trail maps hand-painted by artist James Niehues, has already hit the charts with fans. Jim Niehues: |00:02:43| Well, I moved to Denver at the age of 40 and was trying to make it on the streets doing illustration work, you know, just pounding the streets, trying to find jobs. I liked how you talk about computer maps vs. hand-painted maps and what you bring to it.
Jim is an unlikely icon for skiers and snowboarders, and in part he failed to comprehend his contribution to the community because he's been so busy traveling and churning out maps for the last three decades. When I sketch out a mountain with multiple sides I am not restricted to formulas or exact measurements. I want to go back to the point you made about painting in all of the tree shadows.
The book details Niehues' incredible journey, his artistic process and a lifetime of illustrations. Is America's most prolific trail map artist the job you dreamed about having as a child? We had taken quite a long time getting all the shots and the coffee was coming through. As he neared retirement a few years ago, friends urged him to document his life in a book. It is a history and travel planning tool that should be consulted and daydreamed over often. So I learned actually while I was in the army in Austria and so I could get down the slope. Tom Kelly: |00:07:51| I think you, I think you sure did. It's a very smooth technique. Tom Kelly: |00:42:40| How long does it take you to paint a shadow and an accompanying tree?
We're going to come back in a little bit and talk about Utah, talk about the book and a few reflections back on a career of one of the greatest trail painters we've seen. We're going to talk about all aspects of ski maps. Then I would drop to lower elevations and get a lot of detail down about 500 feet above the summit and get the background. Once back at the lodge, grabbing a beer and reviewing the day out with the area's map is still the perfect Après activity. Nothing gives you an at-a-glance idea of how somewhere will ski than one on Niehues unique maps, originally drawn by the artist on a large canvas made up from a series of preliminary sketches. Jim Niehues: |00:35:01| Oh, well, I don't know, it just been it's just been over a year, is 2019 OK? Available now for immediate shipping, the book retails for $90 USD and it is certain to be a cherished, timeless gift for avid skiers and snowboarders this holiday season. The years passed, I didn't know how to find a publisher and I just didn't have the time to pursue it. A soft and kind voice answered the line. That my maps are pinned up on bedroom walls of kids all over, you know, and I just couldn't. What stands out about Vermont's mountains as you paint them? And by the time the flights over, we're flying at Mid Mountain, going down, downstream for sure to get out of there. And then to the summit elevation and get detail of the upper mountain and mid-mountain and get the lower detail. So very well, so much better than the brush will.
Tom Kelly: |00:42:10| Do you have any idea in all of those maps how many trees you've painted? Well, we're happy to see that you found your way out of Honeycomb Canyon. Bachelor, Park City, Revelstoke, Snowbird, Squaw Valley, Stowe, Sugarloaf, Sun Valley, Taos, Telluride, Whistler Blackcomb and other renowned resorts. Inspired by the vistas near his childhood home in western Colorado, James Niehues found a passion for landscape painting at a young age. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame and realization of this new book, it's just hard to put my gratitude into words. A pencil sketch of Big Sky, Montana, graces the cover and features anti-scratch protection. So I looked him up hoping that he would have a job for me. And it took a while, but by 1988, I think that was, you know, in 1987 why Vail came along. And then it's kind of up to the skier to get down, get down those slopes.
It then moves into the unique story of James's life and career that Colorado-based writer Jason Blevins captures in an engaging and enthusiastic style. Or did you have to get into quarantine right after that? Tom Kelly: |00:46:09| So what's the great news? "What's really important is to remember that we're in the great outdoors. Find them in drawers, jacket pockets, or suspended on the fridge. MADE BY SKIERS FOR SKIERS. That's why, a few years ago at age 70, he realized it was high time to turn some of that functional art into a book.
Tom Kelly: |00:34:54| And the book was actually what year was the book published in Jim? Usually t ucked beneath a band of cliffs or nestled in a cluster of pines, the watercolorist's insignia contains three distinctive E s and an M leaning precipitously to the left, reminiscent of the mountains so accurately illustrated. We would LOVE it if you could help us and other readers by reviewing the book. Rad Smith has been turning to hand painting of ski maps after successfully rendering computer mapping images. Over dinner at the Alta Peruvian Lodge, Jim once again expresse s disbelief at the success of his book launch, which ultimately clinched the title of best funded Art & Illustration Proje ct in Kickstarter history.
Days after my impromptu book purchase, I was dialing Niehues' phone number to interview him for a profile on behalf of Ski Utah magazine. This project was born out of Niehues' desire to chronicle his life's work. Niehues' very first Vermont trail map portrait was for Stowe, created for Ski Country Magazine in 1990. Take a look at reality vs James Niehues for the most spectacular resorts in Australia, New Zealand and Chile.. Australia, New Zealand and Chile joined North America as big James Niehues fans, and a generation of skiers and boarders have benefited from the likes of these great maps. I'll get up and fly the area. And they are kind of fingerprints of the resort.
And you know, I know from having relied on trail maps for many years, you get a pretty good sense of where those tree islands are in the run and how accurately they're depicted. I got all of the brochures and I opened them up and I look at these amazing maps and you just kind of dream about going down those runs. Over the years, he has created maps for resorts across North America, South America, Europe, Asia and Australia, with hundreds of millions of printed copies distributed to skiers on the slopes. The culmination of his lifelong work and passion for the mountains, this art-quality book is a compilation of more than 200 individual resort trail maps, each hand-painted by Niehues.