Kim Walker

Kim Walker is an internationally recognized artist, mother of four, grandmother of nine, and loving wife.Kim's son Robby began attending community college in 1992 at age 9. While transporting him to and from college, Kim decided to attend classes herself. She became the first person in her family to receive a degree - a B.F.A. in Painting from Arizona State University - and had the unique experience of taking some classes with her son.  Robby completed a PhD in Computer Science.  With great pride and joy she refers to this experience as a magical part of her journey. Since then, Kim has developed a unique style of painting that incorporates pressed flowers and natural elements. During her degree program she absorbed the many offerings of her instructors and is very grateful for that experience.  Kim always knew, however, that she wanted to find her own voice in her art.  Beginning in December of 1999, in an attempt to assuage her grief over the untimely death of her mother, Kim took almost daily walks. “One day while resting on a mountain trail a breeze wrapped around me and it felt like a hug.  I looked up and all around and it became crystal clear that nature reflects not just beauty but also hope and inspiration and healing as well as many metaphoric lessons that can touch all of our lives in profound and limitless ways. We are all warmed by the same sun and held by the same gravity.  I knew I wanted to share these feelings as well as the actual botanicals with the world.  I stopped many times on my walk home that day and picked up random botanic elements not knowing how, but still knowing these elements would become part of my art.”  Kim continues to evolve her processes of the inclusion of actual botanicals in her art, each day making new discoveries in her studios, one in Arizona and one in Baja. She also writes an original poem for each painting to further express her reverent gratitude for the gifts of nature. Kim's art is represented in galleries and juried and invitational exhibits nationwide and is included in private, corporate, and municipal collections all over the world.

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When you look at my artwork, please realize you are looking at not only paint but also actual botanic elements from nature. 
The process of painting and connections to nature are both great passions in my life. Painting allows me the quiet and thoughtful internal dialogue that refreshes my spirit.   My compositions are intended to be a reverent reflection of the beauty, inspiration, and meaningful lessons found in the gifts of nature.  I believe connections to nature are indispensable to all people.  I have learned that even if your day allows only brief moments to take in the wonder of the intricate beauty of a flower petal or leaf or to simply experience a view into nature from your window, it has the potential to touch our lives in a profound and heartening way.  This belief resulted many years ago in the inclusion of botanical elements into my mixed media compositions.  My art making takes me on a spiritual journey as I seek and collect natural elements, which I then press and later incorporate into my paintings and 3-d art.  I trust my art to show great reverence to nature while providing viewers a personal connection to the natural world in a unique and unexpected realm. Also, because I am greatly inspired by the insights and wisdom of life’s experiences, along with many metaphoric lessons found in nature, poetry is an integral part of my art.  I feel that my paintings and my poetry go hand-in-hand and complement each other.  Therefore, each painting includes one of my original poems that I hand-write on the back of each composition.
 
My art is represented by various galleries and also shown in numerous juried art competitions and invitational installations.  It is part of private, corporate, and municipal collections in the United States and abroad and for this I am grateful.  Most importantly, however, it is extraordinary to wake each day knowing I will spend time in my studio creating art.  It brings great joy into my life as well as a treasured peacefulness.  I once read in a book by Rebecca Wells, “use everything in your life to create your art”.  This intention is at the heart of my paintings and my poetry.  Thank you for taking the time to view my art and to feel the connections to nature.