"Dukes of Hazzard" history inspires this artist and avid fan

We showed you in our March 29 post the talent of Canadian artist Jim Wilson, who paints up very nice "Dukes of Hazzard"-themed scenes. Well, consider today's post "part 2" of that, as we take a look at another talented artist out of Ontario. His medium is quite a bit more three-dimensional than the painted canvas. He's put together a beautiful diorama that chronicles an important event in "Dukes" history -- the recovery of the very first General Lee used for a jump in the TV series, from a home in Georgia many years after its 1979 debut. What's more, this artist, Jason Darling, is friends with Jim Wilson, and it's really their artistic collaboration that you see in the first photo below, with Jim's painting in the background.

If you recall the story, this famous Dodge Charger was found still wearing its blue, roughed-up "71" paint job from its appearance in the fourth episode of the show, "Repo Men," when it doubled as a Richard Petty car. It changed hands a few times after the recovery and has most recently been fully restored to the way it appeared as blazin'-orange, jumpin' "Lee 1" in the pilot episode.

"The idea for the diorama came when Jim and I were talking about it and he had started painting again," Jason says. "I, of course, had many spare Charger model kits so I started my project! I have always followed the 71 story and I was present when it was unveiled at Oxford College (near Covington, Georgia) at the 25th anniversary event by Mr. Bell and helped push it on and off the trailer."

He continues, "I have about 13-14 hours in building the model and have researched it for years. The gentleman who bought it from Travis even contacted me for facts about it before its restoration. I am strongly against 71 ever being restored; I think that was an atrocity."

"Jim Wilson and I pride ourselves in recreating 'Dukes' facts and pieces for each other's collections such as our HOGGOCO oil cans and my and Jim's gas pumps, to name a couple," Jason says. "If Jim and I put our collections together, we would have a very nice 'Dukes of Hazzard' museum."

As with a lot of "Dukes" fans out there, the show made a big impression on this creative fan that goes way beyond art. "My favorite character on the 'Dukes' while it aired will always be Bo Duke, and then Uncle Jesse. I live my life with Bo Duke in my back pocket, with Uncle Jesse's values."

That's part of Jason's collection below. "My favourite episode," he says, "is a tie with 'Happy Birthday, General Lee' and 'The Ghost of General Lee.' I loved the history behind the birthday episode and the emotion behind the ghost episode."

"Jim and I go every day finding new 'Dukes' things and keeping the show alive and honest; we are 'Dukes' cousins for sure," Jason says. "We have helped one another with our collections, and I've even gotten Jim started on some General Lee parts! LOL."

Jason, of course, has his own General. "I'm in the process of building my own second-unit version General Lee, going on five years now, but I'm proud of it. I have been extremely fortunate to attend many 'Dukes' events, and I've gotten to meet every living cast member, something I never would have thought I'd ever get to do four years ago, being that I live down in Canada. The cast of the show are amazing and friendly people."

Jason continues, "I met Jim through an ad on Kijiji looking for General Lee parts -- now we're best friends. Funny how 'Dukes' fans find each other."

Thanks to Jason for sharing his story and his fabulous art!

Photos courtesy of Jason Darling; please do not copy without permission.

Canadian artist Jim Wilson gets creative again, this time on the Starship Enterprise

Well, our buddy Jim Wilson of the Great White North is at it again. You've seen Jim's clever "Dukes of Hazzard" art on this blog, and it was featured in the BRBTV books "Them Dukes! Them Dukes!" and "Let's Roll, Kato: A Guide to TV's Green Hornet." Jim is also a fan of "Star Trek," both the original series and various other incarnations. One of his latest garage projects (and he has many, believe me!) was the command chair of Captain James T. Kirk of the USS Enterprise. This turned out pretty nice! And Jim completed this very quickly, in only a couple days.

I had to wonder about that snazzy NCC 1701 nameplate. Jim says it's a piece of brass plate with plastic letters he glued on and painted in hammer finish paint. Then he dusted it with gold and brass paint.

This talented guy has got to take commissions, I say!!! Geesh. And Jim jokes that he added the beer because it's a Canadian chair (for a Canadian captain, actually).

Photos courtesy of Jim Wilson; do not copy without permission.

Some more "Dukes" art to fascinate fans

We told you about the fabulous "Dukes of Hazzard"-themed paintings by Jim Wilson of Ontario, Canada, in not only our May 29, 2013 and January 28, 2015 blog posts but also in the newest edition of the "Them Dukes! Them Dukes!" reference guide to the show. Well, Jim is at it again, just painting another beauty last week ...

It's a General he painted from his 1:18 model car. We asked if this was inspired by an episode, like several of Jim's other paintings, and he said no, and that he painted it with a nighttime scene "because u never see dukes at night." Yea ... might have a point there! Anyhow, here's another painting Jim has done this year ...

AND ... as if that's not enough!!!! Check out this truly special specialty item ... a stool fashioned like a guitar fashioned like a General Lee! When have ya'all ever seen one of those before? Jim made this by hand for his friend, Jason Darling, a fellow artist we've profiled on this blog and in the book! That's Jim and Jason in the photo below.

The stool is made of wood and took Jim about a week to craft. Did he use any kind of model for it? Nope, Jim says, it's all in his head. And aren't we glad it is!!!

Images courtesy of Jim Wilson and Wilson Estate Photography; please do not copy without permission.

The General rides again in Jim Wilson's latest painting

In the 2014 update of the "Them Dukes! Them Dukes!" fact book on "The Dukes of Hazzard," BRBTV profiled Canadian artist Jim Wilson, who crafts works of art from his favorite TV show and yours. Well, Jim is at it again, and he just did this lovely piece last weekend. It's the General belonging to his good friend Jason Darling, who also was profiled in the book for his diorama of the recovery of Lee 1 (and their work is also featured in living color on this very blog, too!!!).

Jim's work is all original and so very cool. Thanks, Jim, for sharing it with us again!

Image courtesy of Jim Wilson;

please do not copy without permission.

Canadian artist Jim Wilson crafts Mr. Dressup's treehouse for a good friend

For any of the Canadian readers out there (like you, Wendy! :) ), you might have grown up with "Mr. Dressup," a Canadian children's television series that originally ran on CBC from 1967 to 1996. As Mr. Dressup, actor Ernie Coombs would lead children through a series of songs, stories, arts, crafts and imagination games, with the help of his puppet friends Casey and Finnegan, Wikipedia says. This author's good friend Jim Wilson of Canada, whose fine art you've seen on this blog before -- art of "The Dukes of Hazzard," "Green Hornet" and more -- has now turned his creative eye to the beloved TV icon of his youth. He has crafted a replica of the treehouse featured on "Mr. Dressup" for his friend, Rob. 

This is the treehouse where those puppets Casey and Finnegan lived, on the show. How fun! If you're sensing some "Mr. Rogers" vibes, those of you in the U.S., it might be because Coombs and Fred Rogers once knew each other as colleagues, and yes, they took very similar career paths.

Here's the real thing as seen on the show:

And here are shots of Jim's work on the replica:

 

 

Thanks, Jim, for sharing these photos with us! And congratulations, Rob (that's him below), on a one-of-a-kind piece! By the way, be sure to like Jim's new Facebook page to see more of his work!

 

Photos courtesy of Jim Wilson; please do not copy without permission.

Art imitates life, at least the life we'd all love to live in Hazzard County

Jim Wilson of London, Ontario, had dreams like any other kid growing up in the 1970s who watched "The Dukes of Hazzard" when it originally aired. He wanted to meet the Dukes, he wanted to see the Duke farm, and Hazzard Square, and any of the other sites featured on the show. He wanted to see a General Lee.

"Well, I did watch 'The Dukes' every Friday night when it was new, when I was a kid," Jim tells BRBTV. "Looked forward to it, and my mom would always pop some popcorn on the stove for me, back then we did not own a microwave, LOL."

Jim made his dreams come true. He did grow up to meet the cast members, even see John ("Bo Duke") Schneider and Tom ("Luke Duke") Wopat in concert, and he visited Hazzard Square and the Duke farm. And he's seen a few General Lees over the years, both at Dukesfest and elsewhere, even though he lives in the Great White North where it would seem you wouldn't see such a sight!

"You would be surprised, there are a few General Lees around my area," he says. "I always seem to find somebody who enjoys the show. My good friend Jason Darling, who lives near Kingston, Ontario, is building two Generals right now, a dirt tracker and a nice street car."

But while all of that is mighty fine, that's not the reason we're featuring Jim Wilson on the BRBTV News Blog today. You see, he's the kind of fan that is so inspired by "The Dukes" that it touches off his artistic creativity. More specifically, it sets him to painting.

"As for inspiration for the paintings, I like to capture the feel of the late '70s, early '80s," Jim tells us. "Hard to explain, my childhood seemed to last forever back then, always wondering when will I grow up and be a big person like Bo and Luke. I have always drawn things, have a gift I guess. I had a special art teacher who would come in once a week to expand what I had done. Taught me perspective, stuff like that. But basically I just draw or paint or weld what is in my mind."

And what a talent and imagination it is. We especially like his interpretation of the recovery of Lee 1, the very first General ever jumped on "The Dukes of Hazzard." Now, there's an interesting thing to paint, especially for what that moment, and the ensuing years of the car's change in ownership and its restoration, have meant in the "Dukes" fan community, both positive and not so much.

Jim is sure capturing a certain feeling in his work. And it's clear that comes from his own love of the show and of all that surrounds it these days.

"I love going to events in the South," he says. "Last year at the Hazzard Homecoming I finally met Tom Wopat, so now I have met everybody, even Honest John Ledbetter, who until his death lived in Canada. I had a nice talk with him about the 'Dukes.' I can see why Cooter lives in the Blue Ridge mountains. I fell in love with 'em, too. Any reason to go back there, I would. Beautiful."

 

"My favourite 'Dukes' character I would have to say is Uncle Jesse," says Jim, who had the above moment at the site of the original Duke farm in Georgia captured for all time. "I don't own a General Lee yet. That pic of me you saw was just luck that somebody was at the farm with one; he let me pose in front of it. I'd like to mention that the gas pumps were Jason's idea and the Hoggoco oil cans were mine. He lives and breathes the 'Dukes' like me."

And does it seem unusual that such a fervent "Dukes" fan would be Canadian born and bred? Not to us, as we used to attend the Hair Dare Dukes Days in Ontario and see the love of the show there in the North.

"I don't think the Canadian perception is any different from the American on the show," Jim says. "We both know you can't fly a car without damage, LOL. For some reason there are a lot of Confederate flags flying up here. Everybody wants to be a rebel, I guess, and American flags, after 9-11, the stars and stripes were everywhere in Canada in support."

And "The Dukes" isn't the only classic TV show he loves.

"As for what I watch on TV today, not much. I did enjoy the new 'Battlestar Galactica' series. I also like 'The Big Bang Theory.' Everything else I buy on DVD. Love the 'Waltons.' I went to Waltons' Mountain museum last year after the Homecoming as it was two hours away from there. Makes you wish you grew up on Waltons' Mountain. I also enjoy the series 'Rat Patrol' from the '60s. 'Magnum P.I.,' I adore that show. 'The Fall Guy,' 'McHale's Navy,' 'Beverly Hillbillies,' 'Petticoat Junction,' aughhh so many!"

When he's not painting, Jim's "day job" is at St. Thomas Rent-all in St. Thomas, Ontario. He also enjoys making welding sculptures out of scrap material from work, model railroading. "In my younger years I was dirt biker. I miss my motorcycle. ;("

But his No. 01 hobby, as he puts it, is searching for 'Dukes' stuff! He does admit it's harder to find in the Great White North.

"Back in the '80s, Canada had Kmart, (not anymore) and I got my first 'Dukes' toy, an ERTL General Lee. I was so excited. The '90s were a real dry spell for 'Dukes' stuff. I remember hearing about the first reunion movie, but we didn't have cable. I missed out on it, then when the DVDs starting coming out, I was in heaven. It's like every show is brand new again, and that's when I found out about Dukesfest. I HAD TO GO!! My first was 2005 in Bristol, my first real trip South as an adult. Terrible drive there. Long story short, we got there late at night on a back road, thunderstorm, we stayed at a crappy hotel. I woke early next day, it was humid, dark, grey sky, and in the mist, I see my very first General Lee sitting on a trailer. I was so excited, I MADE IT, it was a dream come true, 50,000 people like me in the same town!! And I have been going ever since, pic of that General in the mist included. ;)"

He says traveling to Atlanta was another dream come true. "When I went inside the Duke farm, stood in front of the Boar's Nest, drove around Hazzard Square in my Cadillac at the time. Never thought in a million years I'd ever see this stuff. What HISTORY!"

He continues, "Then a couple years back, I put an ad on Kijiji looking for '69 Charger parts. Well, this guy named Jason Darling answers. He had a trunk lid for me. I met him in Toronto, as it's kinda halfway for both of us. I walked up to him, and I felt like I had known him my whole life. Well, thanks to him, I have a trunk lid and a door, one piece at a time like Johnny Cash. The door blew me away. I met him in Niagara Falls last April for the John and Tom concert. I was thinking I was getting an old rusty dented door; he pulls out of his truck a freshly painted 01 orange door signed by Bo and Luke. I started to well up. I was floored. He is now one of my best friends. I consider him my brother; we text everyday, no less, always comparing 'Dukes' stuff. Amazing who you meet through the 'Dukes.'"

Yup! Don't we know it! Many thanks to Jim for sharing his story.

Photo and art courtesy of Jim Wilson; please do not copy without permission.

"Magnum, P.I." soars again in this clever diorama

You've seen the artistry of Jim Wilson of Canada on this blog before, as he has painted images inspired by "The Dukes of Hazzard." See the November 26, 2013 and March 27, 2017 posts. Well, Jim is a fan of other great classic TV shows -- for instance, "Magnum, P.I." This incredibly creative artist most recently set about creating a diorama inspired by Tom Selleck's 1980s TV show, more specifically, T.C.'s helicopter.

Nice:

"Believe it or not, the water is plaster of Paris I made ridgey and painted with white caps," Jim says.

"I watched 'Magnum' three times a day after school on three different channels," he says. "I so wanted to live that life."

(And Jim's not the only inspired "Magnum" fan -- check out this blog post.)

Tomorrow: Part 2, with a look at Jim's "Magnum" memorabilia collection!

Images by Jim Wilson;

Please do not copy without permission.

Terrific TV Toys: A look at Jim's awesome "Magnum, PI" collection

The latest episode of the Terrific TV Toys series is a quick hit, a delightful romp through the "Magnum, PI" memorabilia collection at the home of BRBTV's friend Jim Wilson of Canada. You've seen Jim's fabuloso art on this blog and in the BRBTV books, and you'll see it in this episode, as well. Jim is a fan of various TV shows and movies, and he paints scenes inspired by those, as well as by his love of trains and maybe just a bird outside his window! Lots of his paintings are listed in his Facebook shop, and you can see more of his art at the Facebook page Jim's Creations.

A couple items from Jim's "Magnum" collection: A Ki'i replica statue from the "Simon and Simon" crossover episode, and a jar of sand from the Robin's Nest sent to him by his friend Kimo, who worked on the TV series back in the day.

Maximum "Magnum": A look at one fan's collection

Yesterday you saw the highly creative "Magnum, P.I." helicopter scene diorama by Canadian artist Jim Wilson. Today, he shares photos of his collection of "Magnum" memorabilia. The classic TV series starring Tom Selleck was one of Jim's favorite shows back in the '80s.

Photos courtesy of Jim Wilson; please do not copy without permission.