Growing up as a kid in the flatlands of northwestern Ohio, Jim Nichols was born to a legacy of shoveling snow all winter and mowing lawns all summer. A fate he figured he'd face all his days. But still, he had a restless, creative imagination. By the time he'd reached his senior year in high school, Jim had latched onto an ambition to be an artist. It became a passion that even a two-year intrusion of Army service couldn't discourage. After completion of his military tour, he abandoned his old life in Ohio and resettled to Tucson, Arizona in 1972. He never dreamed he'd end up in the wild west, but destiny had other plans . . .

It was not long before the stark beauty of the Sonoran desert began to powerfully influence his art. Catcus, mountains and skies dominated his canvases. He made something of a name for himself as a painter of southwestern landscapes. By the lates seventies, however, he discovered he couldn't be content to limit his art to just desert scenes. Popular films of the day like Star Wars, Close Encounters rekindled a love of science fiction that he knew as a youngester. Soon alien landscapes and space ships captivated his creativity.

In 1980 Jim made a significant association with Lt. Col. (ret) Wendelle Stevens, a former Air Force Pilot and noted UFO researcher. Enthralled by the case studies in Mr. STevens' voluminous archive, Jim was inspired to seriously pursue UFO illustration. Over the years Jim's renderings have graced numerous books and magazine around the world. "UFO: Contact from Larga", "Angels in Starships", "Cosmic Top Secret", "The History of Atlantis", and "Alien Magic" and in this www.karinya.com web site are just a few of the publications featuring Jim's art. His "flying saucer" paintings have even been featured on NBC's Today Show. Although he can't boast a personal "alien" contact or even a UFO sighting of his - he can make ET's or space ships appear at will - on the canvases at his easel.

All this UFO art caught the attention of an aspiring TV producer in 1991. Ted Loman recruited Jim to co-host a video program for public access TV in Tucson. In spite fo his initial camera-shyness. Jim helped Ted to produce the longest running live UFO show in the country. UFOAZ Talks became an award winning weekly forum for UFO and related information. A "phenomenon" unto itself, this popular program aired on public access channels in major cities all across America for six years, 1991 to 1997.

Addressing his own personal view on the subject, Jim states, "The flying saucer enigma may prove to be the most important sociological event of the millennium. It pleases me to have a part in it."