KimKimbro

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A very small measure of warmth
18"x18"
oil on canvas
2008

1% (in me nothing is extinguished or forgotten)
oil on canvas
72" x 60"
2007

The One (I love you as certain dark things are to be loved)
oil on canvas
30" x 30"
2007
sold

Astrakhan (let the things that are broken call out like a river)
oil on canvas
48" x 48"
2007
sold

Prey (I crave your mouth, your voice, your hair)
oil on canvas

36" x 60"

2007
sold

Kim Kimbro

In the fighting there is a painless end, 60"x72", oil on canvas, 2008

Artist Statement (on Animus)

Animus refers to the masculine aspect of the feminine psyche in Jungian psychology. This collection of paintings is an exploration of the rough-cut and the tender found within me and within all of us. Animal archetypes evoke instant associations and make sense to me as a prism through which I can explore some very primal emotions such as obsession, unconditional love, contempt and faith. The darker emotions are particularly intriguing to me and I like the tension that arises when I use a docile animal such as a cow or sheep to express it. Conversely, there is something very touching to me about using a reviled animal to express love.

The very core of the animal is present in these portraits. They existin a purgatory of light that alternates between heavenly and eerie. There is nothing else in the picture -- no other earthly references to support a narrative apart from the purest symbolic associations with that animal. Their faces are expressionless - anathema to anthropomorphism - and are therefore a kind of Rorschach test. I want you to see something very gentle in one viewing, then ominous and full of fury in the next. In "1% (in me nothing is extinguished or forgotten)", the life-size cow glows in beatific white-hot light, as far from threatening as it gets. It also happens to be utterly confrontational in its stance -- unblinking, unflinching, unforgiving. In "Prey (I crave your mouth, your voice, your hair)", a predatory animal, oblivious to the viewer, races full-tilt in adrenaline-fueled euphoria. Is there any difference between sex drive and prey drive?
I feel compelled to march in the long procession of animal representation that reaches all the way back to the caves at Lascaux and Altamira. Early man scratched marks on the walls with ground pigment so that others could recognize the animal and conjure its spirit - then it could become the killed rather than the killer. That primitive bargain is the starting point for each painting, where it is decided, metaphorically, who lives and who dies. They are cyphers that stand in for the way we are -- corruptible and faithful, fickle and steadfast. I like to paint with my three dogs around me because they remind me that the most poignant qualities humans have are the ones we share with animals. We are all deeply in tune with hunger and survival on a subconscious level, even if it rarely crosses the mind. I paint from the inside out, starting with the deepest essence of that animal, letting those qualities determine the way paint and composition are handled. The finished product is an expression of empathy that I hope touches everyone on a profoundly personal level. – K.K.

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Artist Bio

Kim Kimbro was born in Connecticut and attended the Norwich Free Academy, where she received a classical education in painting and drawing, graduating with national awards and honors. She was awarded a scholarship to the Parsons School of Design in New York City, where she earned a BFA. Ms. Kimbro has worked in design, documentary filmmaking and photography. She currently resides in Los Angeles.

Select Exhibitions

2008

To My Widow, Lawrence Asher Gallery, Los Angeles, CA (solo show)

Benevolent Beauty, Cella Gallery, North Hollywood, CA

Kimbro-Osuna-Toledo, Taller 410, Los Angeles, CA

2007

Animus, Lawrence Asher Gallery, Los Angeles, CA (solo show)

Small Wonders, Pharmaka, Los Angeles, CA

Tarfest, Korean Cultural Center, Los Angeles, CA

California Open, TAG Gallery, Los Angeles, CA

2007 Group show, Barnsdall Art Center, Los Angeles, CA