Topeka Art Guild First Friday July 3rd 2026

ARTIST OF THE MONTHJAMES WILLIAMS
I have been woodburning since I received my first woodburning tool for Christmas in 1962.My subjects were mostly dogs, cats, and birds.In high school Art class, my passion was portraits in pencil, pen and ink, and charcoal.I never attempted burning images of people because I didn’t think it was possible.In 1988, the US Army sent me to Korea, where I met Hong, a Korean woodburner who was burning portraits.His work was fabulous.Upon returning to the States, I figured if he could burn portraits, I could too.It took 3 years to figure out what the best wood was to use and where to get it.I researched the best burning tools available.Forty years of trial and error, and here I am today.In 1992, I woke up dreaming of burning on leather, now 25% of my work is on leather.I have exhibited in sports memorabilia shows around the country for 15 years.In the 90’s I was burning 12-14 hours a day.Today, 6 or 7 hours, and I have had enough.Over the years, I have created pieces for Micky Mantle, Nolan Ryan, Reggie Jackson, Joe DiMaggio, Pete Rose, Al Kaline, Roger Clement, Ted Williams, and many others.Currently, I have work in the National Baseball Hall of Fame, the Football Hall of Fame, The Ted Williams, and The Nolan Ryan <a href="http://Museums.Jim” target=”_blank” title=”Museums.Jim”>Museums.Jim has many works displayed at the Topeka Art Guild Gallery, and we look forward to seeing new art work for the July First Friday.
July 3 First Friday 4:30-7:30 FIRST FRIDAY
The Topeka chapter of the American Association of Zookeepers is incredibly excited to collaborate with the Topeka Art Guild for the July gallery show. Our display will include paintings done by zoo animals — most notably our giraffe, orangutans, tigers, lions, cheetahs, and hippo.
They will be displayed alongside animal paintings created by TAG members to support our cause. Both the animals and their keepers love creating these works, and it is fascinating to see how the different species paint. Topeka AAZK supports Topeka Zoo animals as well as zookeepers.
For the animals, AAZK purchases enrichment items requested by the keepers, some of which can be over $1000 — imagine having to buy a toy that can hold up to the strength of a hippo! As for the keepers, AAZK provides scholarships to help send them to conferences where they can learn new training techniques, updated animal husbandry, and network with staff from other facilities.”