Art Brokerage specializes in the original paintings of Jim Buckels. 4 Fabulous paintings listed. Jim Buckels' fascination with fantasy began in early childhood, when his mother, who taught English composition and literature at Iowa State University, would read to him from storybooks illustrated by N.C. Wyeth, Maxfield Parrish, and Hoeard Pyle. Later, Jim Buckels' artistic talent won him a scholarship to the University of Northern Iowa, which his adventurous spirit compelled him to interrupt in his sophomore year, when he enlisted in the U.S. Army for a three year stint, including a tour of Vietnam. Returning to civilian life in 1971, Jim Buckels resumed his studies at UNI, earning a bachelor's degree in art, and began his career as a freelance illustrator, becoming known for his stylized landscapes, inspired by such regional artists as Grant Wood and Thomas Hart Benton, as well as by the primitive dreamscapes of the great French painter, Henri Rousseau.