Kimberly Meuse is an Ogunquit Art Association member-artist (Painting) and one of our 6 Showcase Artists at Barn Gallery for the 2022 Season.
Meuse’s Showcase at Barn Gallery will run from August 3 – September, 4 2022 with an Opening Reception on Saturday, August 13th (from 4PM – 7:30PM) and a Gallery Talk on Thursday, August 18th, 2022 (at 6PM).
Learn more about the Barn Gallery 2022 Schedule: https://barngallery.org/get-ready-for-some-art-in-ogunquit-barn-gallerys-2022-season/
Continue reading below for some excerpts from a discussion we had with Kimberly Meuse about her background and work.
How long have you been a part of the Ogunquit Art Association?
I’ve been a member for about 5 years. I’ve long admired the artists and the gallery, since our days living in CT and traveling to Ogunquit for weekends at the B&B next door.
Describe your art and art practice.
I paint in my home studio overlooking one of Portsmouth’s waterways. Scenery that is both inspiring and calming! My work is done largely in my studio where I set up my still life, setting aside days for research and prowling the flower markets for inspiration. I do grow my own parrot tulips (a favorite painting subject) and dahlias (another favorite). I work exclusively in watercolor with a focus on still life. With my still life, silver and glass, draping materials and florals have recurring roles in my paintings. I’m drawn to visual puzzles in reflections and refractions of light, and the hint of a world beyond the borders of the still life painting reflected in a silver vase.
As a sideline, I enjoy painting portraits of animals – so much soul is expressed in their eyes which I find compelling and heartening.
I’ve lived artistically since my earliest memories. Growing up, my sister was the bookworm in my family, my brothers were the entertaining duo, and I was the artist. I studied graphic design in college and worked in television and computer graphics before focusing on fine art as my full time profession after my son was born.
In college, one introductory watercolor course was offered. It was a medium I’d never worked with before, and I was hooked for life. From the basics of that class, I am self-taught in my technique. I paint in a tight, highly detailed fashion layering the transparent pigment to create depth of hue and value. I love the medium for it’s clean transparent pigments and the requisite patience, technique and a vision necessary to create immensely rich paintings. I fell in love with the challenge of watercolor and have never looked back.
What is the theme – Title – of the body of work will you be exhibiting in your showcase?
I have long titled my body of work “Water and Light” which is the essence of watercolor, and the white of the paper is the light that illuminates the work.
What materials and sizes and processes are you using?
I use 140 lb cold press Arches watercolor paper – between 4×4 – 18×24 size range, with some paintings larger, depending on commissions. I almost exclusively use Windsor Newton professional watercolor pigments and size 10 and 12 round brushes. I hunt for brushes that hold plenty of paint and a perfect point. My current favorite is the Escoda Perla round.
What ideas are you expressing in the body of work you will be exhibiting?
An appreciation for beauty captured in a moment. Still life, especially portrayed in realism, speaks for itself. I utilize natural light to create subtle shadows and refractions cast from glassware and through diaphanous fabrics and folds. My hope is that the resulting painting will draw a viewer in to study the composition, craft and beauty of the elements, but most importantly touch the heart.
Photos of Work by Kimberly Meuse.
ARTIST BIO: Kimberly Meuse
Kimberly is self-taught in her style of watercolor painting, after an introductory course in college where she studied Graphic Design opened the door to the wonders and challenges of the medium.
The graphic design world focuses on simplifying messages, while Kimberly’s eye consistently sought the finer points and sumptuous detail. After a decade of working in corporate design, she followed her heart to fine art and watercolor.
Taking watercolor painting from a generally loose methodology to create works that defy the confines of representational painting, she has surmounted the challenges inherent in water-based media to create exquisitely deep, rich paintings that have become a career-long passion.
Learn more about the Barn Gallery 2022 Schedule: https://barngallery.org/get-ready-for-some-art-in-ogunquit-barn-gallerys-2022-season/
Interview by Dustan Knight.
