Jim Monson was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1943.
He received his BA diploma from St. Olaf College, where he took painting courses from John Maakestad. Then in 1965 he continued his studies at the University of Iowa, where he continued painting under Byron Burford, but began to major in printmaking under the direction of Mauricio Lasansky, often considered one of the outstanding American print teachers of the 20th century.