About me
My background
I grew up in Montana, and I have lived in the west most of my life—Montana, California, Colorado and New Mexico. In Montana, I learned to love the outdoors and nature while camping, fishing, and hiking with my family. After high school, I went to the Minneapolis College of Art and Design and the San Francisco Art Institute, where I graduated with a BFA.
After living in San Francisco for nearly a decade, I moved back to Montana, got married, had two daughters, and moved to Colorado. My job took me to Washington, D.C. for seven years where I enjoyed living on the East Coast and frequent visits to every art museum in D.C. and New York. I have traveled quite a bit all over the United States and internationally—Mexico, Canada, the UK, Ireland, France, Italy and the Middle Eastern countries of Qatar and Jordan. I love the contrast of urban versus rural. In 2014, my husband and I left the Denver area and moved to the Sangre de Cristo mountains in Southern Colorado into a house we built, at 9500 feet elevation, fondly known as “Fort Kimber.” There, after a long career in the legal industry, I picked up the paintbrush again and haven’t stopped!
In 2022, we moved to the fabled old town of Taos, New Mexico, and made it our home. I joined the Taos Watercolor Society right away and am grateful to have met so many other artists and creatives in this wonderful art-focused community.
My experience
While attending MCAD, where I studied painting and “intermedia” for two years, I became interested in film and made a few Super8 millimeter movies, even though there was no film department. I had a terrific teacher and mentor, Siah Armajani, a well-known sculptor, painter, architect, and conceptual artist, who encouraged me to pursue film. After two years, I was given the opportunity to transfer to a sister college of art, SFAI where I studied film and photography, and also modeled in life drawing classes for the well-known teacher and abstract painter Sam Tchakalian. Sam became a great friend and mentor. I learned a ton about painting from Sam! In 1976, I traveled to Florence, Italy, intending to study Art History. Alas, the University went on strike and I was unable to afford to stay.
After graduation, I made my Magnum Opus, a 16 mm color, sync-sound film, entitled “Miles of Time,” with the soundtrack by the Jim Lowe Trio, who had just cut an album of the same name. To support myself, I took a job with a law firm, and I ended up working for lawyers for the next nearly 40 years, including as a Chief Marketing Officer, and later, starting my own consulting firm, Fort Kimber Partners.
Finally, all of the creative endeavors in legal marketing spurred me to return to my true love—ART. I retired completely from the legal industry in 2020 and began painting in earnest!
My vision
I was inspired at an early age by the Renaissance, especially Leonardo da Vinci. I studied Art History for many years and wanted to be an Art Historian. Along the way, I also began painting. I am especially inspired by many of the Impressionists, including John Singer Sargant, Vincent Van Gogh, Mary Cassatt, Pissarro, Claude Monet and others. I am moved by early 19th Century artists who painted the west, including Charles Russell, but most especially, George Catlin and revere his amazing images of Native American peoples. In addition, I’m enthralled by Abstract Expressionism and artists such as Helen Frankenthaler, Elaine de Kooning and Jackson Pollack, while my favorites are Jasper Johns and Robert Rauschenberg. Finally, I really love the Surrealists like Salvatore Dali, and most especially, Giorgio de Chirico, whom I met while in Rome in the early 1970’s. Contemporary artists I admire are Andrew and Jamie Wyeth, Georgia O’Keeffe and Southwest artists Randy Pijoan and Tony Ortega, both of whom became friends.
My work centers around shapes and colors and those mostly found in nature, but dreams, poetry and musings also inspire me. I meditate and contemplate daily life but also life beyond our physicality, always trying to “see” inside of our emotions and actions. I’m an empath, so I am naturally attached to animals and feelings — those of joy, sorrow and the daily onslaught of circumstances encountered by my fellow humans. I am passionate about women in art and women in politics — there simply is not enough representation!
I believe art is an ever evolving journey and continuously aim to improve my skills. While initially an oil painter, I am currently immersed in watercolor. I occasionally use mixed media for collage and also experiment a great deal with pastels. Joining the Taos Watercolor Society has been a gift for me in that I learn from the many talented artists in the group, and am grateful for the opportunity the group gives me to show my work. Quite frequently, I participate in workshops, critiques and Plein air outings. My greatest appreciation goes to friends, family and others people who enjoy looking, and often buying my originals, prints and cards.
I hope you enjoy my site!
Contact me
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