Jim Schoenfelder was born in Marengo, Iowa in 1947. He studied engineering and art at the University of Iowa before earning his Masters Degree in Architecture from Iowa State University in 1973. He became a registered Iowa Architect in 1975 and practiced locally with several architectural firms until 1985 when he became the City of Iowa City Energy Coordinator and City Architect. In the year 2000 he reentered private practice and started his own architectural firm dedicated to producing fine art and architecture. His preferred media is ink although he does also work in watercolor and acrylic. He and his daughter Shannon have published a book, with the help of an Arts Iowa grant, entitled "Alley-The Hidden Places of Iowa City" which shows many of his ink sketches and his daughter's photographs. He does his ink sketches on site in one intense sitting of about two hours; "I like the quickness and finality of freehand sketching in ink. Each ink line must add to the story being told or image portrayed. The hard part is knowing when to quit."

With regard to his watercolors he states; "As the media implies I like my work to be a fluid flow of colors. Hard lines give way to soft edges defining volumetric objects with subtle color gradation rather than hard abrupt edges. This is almost the opposite of my ink sketches."

On his work in acrylic he comments; "My acrylic work is much like my architecture, built layer upon layer. Before I even start my subject matter I have six layers of foundation paint. I like to be able to see the layers of paint being added much like the individual bricks and stone can be seen in a building. My acrylic work is as much about texture as it is about subject."