Growing up in Utah and New Mexico, Jim Norton was surrounded by the Western U.S. culture and history, from the ranch hands and cowboys to the Native Americans. Norton also grew up in an environment that fostered artistic creativity; his grandfather, Earl Faucett, would paint in a basement studio in Norton’s family home. Norton received formed training at Western Wyoming College and Brigham Young University. He also continued his artistic education by travelling to Russia, Canada, and Australia.

Norton became a member of the Cowboy Artists of America in 1989 and has since won many awards for his paintings, including the Kieckhefer Award for Best of Show in 2001 for his painting “The First Shot.”