Ethan Lima, a native of Mattapoisett, Massachusetts, is a 1991 graduate of the Maryland Institute College of Art, where he received his BFA in studio art. Spending a semester abroad in Rome,  he had the opportunity to refine his skills in figure drawing and renew his passion for the great masters. After returning to Massachusetts in 1991, he continued his work in painting and drawing at his studio in Rochester, Massachusetts.  Turning to the natural surroundings in the Massachusetts south coast for inspiration, a turning point in his art, he was featured in a Gallery X show which focused on the natural beauty of the ocean, the complexity of salt marshes and woods in Mr. Lima’s drawings and paintings.  During this time Mr. Lima also worked as a substitute teacher, gave private art lessons out of his  studio, and taught children's classes at the Marion Art Center.

    As part of his master’s degree in art education from the University of Massachusetts, Ethan Lima produced a body of work spanning  two years which became his visual interpretation. “Observations and Landscapes,” his final thesis, featured in at the Marion Art Center in Marion, Massachusetts. The show included some twenty works executed in the mediums of oil on canvas and paper, and large works of charcoal on paper. The show received a glowing review by David B. Boyce in the Standard Times. "Marion exhibit demonstrates Limas' artistic mastery of landscape." -1/24/01. The passion for teaching and living to create art journey had begun.

    In 2001, he lived in Dublin, Ireland, where he worked as an artist for a year. He was a member of Palas Studios in Dublin, and took part in ART IRELAND EXPOSITION 2001 held at the RDS in Dublin. This is currently the largest art showing in Ireland.  Ethan Lima received special recognition for his work and a large photograph of his oil painting was featured in a headline story in The Sunday Tribune on December 24, 2001.  In the spring of 2002, he was selected to participate in the Royal Hibernian Academy's annual exhibition of painting, sculpture, architecture, graphic art, and photography in Dublin.  Returning to Massachusetts, his work was exhibited at the UMass Dartmouth main gallery in New Bedford, Massachusetts, in the “Artists Connected by Water” show, presented in partnership with the Lloyd Center, a nature preserve in Dartmouth, Massachusetts. Two of Mr. Lima’s oils were auctioned by the Lloyd Center.

    In 2002, he moved to Springfield, Vermont, after accepting a full time teaching position at a local high school. There he enjoyed more than a decade of teaching art and discovering the natural beauty of Vermont landscapes. He became a member of the Chester Art Guild, participating in many group shows and workshops. By 2003, he was ready to presented a show of new paintings at the Reed Gallery in Chester, Vermont. 

 Currently,  Mr. Lima resides in West Newbury, Massachusetts, where he is a member of the Newburyport Art Association and New Hampshire Art Association.  He participates in many group and solo shows, and juried shows. Involvement in the community has always been a natural and rewarding experience. Often participating in the open studio tours, and in fundraisers and auctions on occasion. He also teaches two adult education classes in painting and drawing for Greater Newburyport Adult & CommunityEducation. He works out of his studio in Amesbury, Massachusetts.