[4][5][6] In 1966, Stanford received his diploma from the original Art Deco campus of Las Vegas High School, which was built in 1930, and was designed by George A. Ferris & Son.

[9] In 1985, Stanford received a Fresco Painting Apprenticeship under the instruction of Lucienne Bloch and Stephen Pope Dimitroff, former assistants to Diego Rivera, during his mural projects in the United States at the College of Santa Fe, in New Mexico.

Jim Stanford curated past and present artwork and narratives of the CAC Board members to highlight their historical significance.

[31] Stanford was first introduced to Seon Buddhism (Korean Zen) as a young man and has since drawn inspiration for his art from his meditation practice.

In 2018, Smallworks Press, with the help of editor William Shea obtained international distribution through Midpoint (North America), and later IPG (Independent Publishers Group).

[42] In 2019, Elephant Magazine claimed that Compass of the Ephemeral: Aerial Photography of Black Rock City through the Lens of Will Roger shows "What Burning Man really looks like".

[49] Based on the principals of Zen Buddhism,[34][50][51] the series uses digital and traditional techniques to realize historic Las Vegas signage and neon as complicated mandala patterns.

[52] In 2016, Los Angeles art critic and curator Mat Gleason reviewed Stanford's Indra's Jewels and related work in The Huffington Post, stating, "It is in the eternal nature of the multiple reflection that this artist has delivered the ultimate rendering of the Vegas experience without resorting to dated design motifs.

[59] A book review by Juxtapoz Magazine's editor-in-chief Evan Pricco[60] states, "Stanford's modern take on the mandala creates a stream of dreamlike experiences, abstract but with tiny details that begin to look like familiar sites in every day life.

[65] The Shimmering Zen exhibition traveled to The Studio, Sahara West Library[66] and the North American book launch was held at The Neon Museum in October 2018.

[67] In 2019, Stanford was featured in a pop-up exhibition at the Quivx Building in the Las Vegas Arts District, which showcased two rotating illuminated backlit lenticulars visible from street levels at all hours of the day.

[72] The mural was commissioned by Alison Chambers, the owner of the 705 building, an arts incubator located at 705 North Las Vegas Boulevard.

The mural was commissioned by the Cultural Corridor Coalition as part of the beautification of downtown Las Vegas through public art projects.