Monday, November 10, 2014

Heather Kim - Painter

Heather Kim


Name: Heather Kim
City/State: Minneapolis, MN
Email: heatherrosekim at gmail.com
Website: http://www.heatherkim.net/
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/heatherhaedalkim
MN Artists: http://www.mnartists.org/heather-kim

Tell me about your work? What are you currently working on? How is this different from past projects?

My art is about narrative portraiture, an introduction to a person's mythology, their constructs of identity.  
I would describe my current body of work as mixed media portraiture--oil on canvas portraits paired with scent vessel portraits and edible taste portraits. 

My art is influenced by my synesthesia, a “...neurological condition in which the stimulation of one sensory or cognitive pathway leads to automatic, involuntary experiences in a second sensory or cognitive pathway.” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synesthesia ; 8/17/2013)  I take what I see, smell, and taste with my models, whom I have all worked closely with and are also artists, and create a portrait.

I am also currently the executive pastry chef at Hola Arepa. I feel like that I am able to successfully execute my taste portraits now that I cook professionally, something that I would not have attempted in the past.

Also, last year my dad had a major hemmorhagic stroke, leaving him paralyzed on his right side and unable to communicate.  My dad, being the amazing human being that his is, has fought viciously back to be himself and live life fully again.  This has inspired me to fight for what I love and not to take anything for granted.  I am loving life twice as hard.  
This is re-shaping my work into something new.  I hope to be able to express all the delightful awkwardness and beauty of who a person is, who I am, and who I want to introduce you to. I cannot separate one part of my life and say that has nothing to do with art.  Everything that I do as an artist has to do with my art.  Everything is art, art is everything.  If it isn’t, then I’m probably not doing it right.


How did you decide to become an artist?

Perhaps this is a decision for some, but in my case, it is what I have always been.  I do not know how not to be artist.  So I guess you could say, I decided to become an artist by deciding to be myself.


What was the best advice given to you as an artist? 

My mentor, Harry Ahn, once told me the beauty in art lies in the struggle.  My art must be freakin' gorgeous by now.



Many artists struggle to find ways to sell their art.  How do you sell your work?  How do you market yourself?
I sell my work through Altered Esthetics or by inquiries from my Facebook.  I market myself though Altered Esthetics and Facebook.  

I have recently become a tattoo apprentice at 4 Points Body Gallery, and hope to sell my art and market myself through the tattoo medium as well.  


Who are some of the Minnesota artists you enjoy? 



If I were to follow you around to see art in Minnesota, which places would we go? What would we see?
We would go to the MIA to visit Georgia O'Keeffe's "View from Pedernal", the Walker Sculpture Garden to sit and wonder in James Turrell's "Sky Pesher, sing some karaoke and play some ping pong in Wing Young Huie's basement after going to a beautiful thought-provoking opening at his Third Place Gallery, or dance party away while viewing wicked smart fun local artists at Public Functionary.




In addition to www.Local-Artist-Interviews.com, where do you go online for good art resources, whether to find a new artist, or to see what is going on in the art world locally and otherwise? 

Heather Kim

Do you have any exhibits to promote in the near future?
Altered Esthetics Solo Exhibitions Alumni Group Show at Nomad World Pub Opening Thursday, December 11 6-8 pm on display through February 4th 2015


Altered Esthetics Gallery Profile

Saturday, November 1, 2014

AZ Gallery - Gallery Profile



Tell me about your gallery.
The AZ Gallery is located at 308 Prince Street on the first floor of the historic Northern Warehouse which was built in 1906.  It is next door to the Black Dog Wine Bar & Café and across the street from the St Paul Farmers Market.  It opened in 1997 as an artist cooperative and is owned and operated by 10 artist members. The gallery exhibitions change monthly and typically involve an exhibition organized by one of the members, in conjunction with one or more guest artists.  In April and October, the gallery is dedicated to exhibits for the St Paul Art Crawl and we have some regular shows from year to year including the 100 Best High School Artists Show sponsored by the St Paul Jaycees in March, the St Paul Almanac Book Release Show in September and the Lowertown Art Show in November. Our website, www.theazgallery.org contains information about applying for membership.  10 is our maximum number of artists who do 2D wall art but we might consider adding an artist who does 3D work.  Artists pay an annual fee, a 20% commission on work sold and agree to work 9-12 hours a month in the gallery.
 
The gallery also has a gift shop where members and guest artists sell locally made items such as notecards, calendars, pottery, jewelry, prints, umbrellas, soaps, purses, glass boxes & paperweights.  Artists are invited to apply to sell their items in the gift shop and at our December Holiday Bazaar.  There is a 40% commission for non-members.  We also have space outside the gallery that we rent for $20 a day or $30 a weekend (June-Sept) called the Summer Market where artists can sell their work in an art fair like setting with no commission to take advantage of the crowds at the nearby Farmers Market.  The gallery is also available for rental for weddings and private parties.
 
Our next show at AZ Gallery is called "50 Shades of Red 2" and is a follow-up to our popular "50 Shades of Red" show last February for Valentine's Day.  Members were allowed to invite 3 guest artists apiece and the idea is that all of the works of art on display would contain a shade of red as a predominant color in the piece. The show runs Feb 5 - Feb 22.  An opening night reception will be held Friday, February 6th from 5-9 pm as part of Lowertown First Fridays.
 
AZ Gallery is open Thursday and Friday nights from 5-8 pm and Saturdays and Sundays from 9 am to 3 pm.



Who are three or four local artists who represent the quality and style of work you exhibit at your gallery?
There are 10 member artists:
Jessie McNally - painter & mixed media assemblage - http://theazgallery.org/gallery-artists/jessie-mcnally/
Derek Davis - Plein aire painter - http://theazgallery.org/gallery-artists/derek%20davis/

Tell me about your gallery.
The AZ Gallery is located at 308 Prince Street on the first floor of the historic Northern Warehouse which was built in 1906.  It is next door to the Black Dog Wine Bar & Café and across the street from the St Paul Farmers Market.  It opened in 1997 as an artist cooperative and is owned and operated by 10 artist members. The gallery exhibitions change monthly and typically involve an exhibition organized by one of the members, in conjunction with one or more guest artists.  In April and October, the gallery is dedicated to exhibits for the St Paul Art Crawl and we have some regular shows from year to year including the 100 Best High School Artists Show sponsored by the St Paul Jaycees in March, the St Paul Almanac Book Release Show in September and the Lowertown Art Show in November. Our website, www.theazgallery.org contains information about applying for membership.  10 is our maximum number of artists who do 2D wall art but we might consider adding an artist who does 3D work.  Artists pay an annual fee, a 20% commission on work sold and agree to work 9-12 hours a month in the gallery.
 
The gallery also has a gift shop where members and guest artists sell locally made items such as notecards, calendars, pottery, jewelry, prints, umbrellas, soaps, purses, glass boxes & paperweights.  Artists are invited to apply to sell their items in the gift shop and at our December Holiday Bazaar.  There is a 40% commission for non-members.  We also have space outside the gallery that we rent for $20 a day or $30 a weekend (June-Sept) called the Summer Market where artists can sell their work in an art fair like setting with no commission to take advantage of the crowds at the nearby Farmers Market.  The gallery is also available for rental for weddings and private parties.
 
Our next show at AZ Gallery is called "50 Shades of Red 2" and is a follow-up to our popular "50 Shades of Red" show last February for Valentine's Day.  Members were allowed to invite 3 guest artists apiece and the idea is that all of the works of art on display would contain a shade of red as a predominant color in the piece. The show runs Feb 5 - Feb 22.  An opening night reception will be held Friday, February 6th from 5-9 pm as part of Lowertown First Fridays.
 
AZ Gallery is open Thursday and Friday nights from 5-8 pm and Saturdays and Sundays from 9 am to 3 pm.

Who are three or four local artists who represent the quality and style of work you exhibit at your gallery?

There are 10 member artists:

Jessie McNally - painter & mixed media assemblage - http://theazgallery.org/gallery-artists/jessie-mcnally/
Derek Davis - Plein aire painter - http://theazgallery.org/gallery-artists/derek%20davis/





For Artists:
How do you prefer artists contact you regarding exhibiting in your gallery?
We don't generally accept any outside requests for shows.  Artists can inquire about selling items in our gift shop or Holiday Bazaar, renting display space for the biannual Art Crawls or renting space at our outdoor Summer Market by emailing us at info@theazgallery.org


What general advice would you give to artists trying to show in local galleries?
Make friends with one of the established artists in the gallery and they can bring you in to an exhibit when guests are allowed.

For Collectors:
What is the typical price range for works for sale in your gallery?
Aside from the gift shop, prices for framed art range from $50 to $2000, with most in the range of $95 - $500.





Do you have any advice for collectors looking locally to buy art?

You can get some wonderful pieces at very reasonable prices by buying and supporting local artists and since our gallery is run by the artists, you also get to meet them, get to know them and follow their careers.  It makes the experience much more personal.



If by chance all of the local art galleries were having opening receptions on the same night, where else would you recommend people go to maximize their art experience? 

To get the full Lowertown Art Experience when all the neighborhood galleries, studios and artist lofts are open, you would want to come during the St Paul Art Crawls, held twice a year the last weekend of April and the second weekend of October. www.artcrawl.org  

Another good time is the evening of the first Friday of every month when we are part of Lowertown First Fridays www.lowertownfirstfridays.org  

If you are in Lowertown at another time, we would recommend you visit Three Sisters Eclectic Arts, a gallery with over 90 artists just two blocks down 4th Street from AZ Gallery http://www.threesisterseclecticarts.com/




Dominique Winders



Dominique Winders
Minneapolis, MN

Bio: 
Dominique began her fascination with small, shiny objects at the age of 3 when her grandmother introduced her to a tin of broken bead necklaces. Over the years, she explored the concept of "eye candy" as a jewelry artist creating one of a kind pieces of wearable art that were each unique, asymmetrical, yet perfectly balanced. Her progression into sculpture and incorporating found objects into larger works was a natural step; integrating rusty relics with precious jewels. Each piece contains a story, a root and a reason.

Dominique travels frequently to France discovering treasures in flea markets, churchyards and farmsteads and currently lives in Mpls, MN. Her paintings and sculptural objects have been shown in group shows at Altered Esthetics and she was a featured artist in the Speakeasy at VOICES IX in Dubuque, IA. This year, she participated in the Altered Esthetics Solo Artist Exhibition program and joined the co-op gallery, Tres Leches Art in Northrup King Building in November, 2014.



Tell me about your art: 
My current body of work is entitled "Giant's Jewelry" and the project is composed of wire sculptures and wire accented paintings. "Giant's Jewelry" conceptualizes the post-apocalyptic adornment created by tribal societies in a world left in ruins. Religious relics, vines of wire and semi- precious stones are combined with discarded, found objects in various states of disintegration and decay. Even after The End, there will be unpredictable beauty found in imperfection and chaos. Represented in these pieces is the scope of human existence; suffering, sustenance, tension, opposition, hope, despair, endurance, memory and the tenuous balance between mankind and nature. The pieces are allegorical and include wall hangings, mobiles and most recently, I have been painting and embellishing the pieces with wire and metal findings.



When did you decide to become and artist? 
I did not make a conscious decision to become an artist, it is just part of my nature. I like thinking out of the box.

Best advice from an artist: 
I used to be very concerned with rendering an image as precisely as possible so be sure that the meaning didn't get lost in the piece but then an artist friend demanded that I don't hold back. He said, "Don't be afraid of the paint." I liked that idea. It gave me freedom to follow the will of the medium as opposed to me trying to be so exact.

How do you sell your art? 
I have just started this year to branch out and find the courage to exhibit my art. I have a profile on mnartists.org and am now a member of the Tres Leches Art co-op gallery at Northrup King Building.

MN Artists I enjoy: 
There are many artists I appreciate. The 2 who come to mind are Aldo Moroni for his dedication to a theme, Jim Denomie for his explosive use of color.

Art in MN: 
I have always been a fan of Gallery 13, I am intrigued by Public Functionary shows and I love Franconia Sculpture Park.



Online resources: 
I look at the mnartists.org website almost everyday and I am so excited with their new format. I have several friends who are dedicated patrons of the arts and they help me stay connected to shows. For other art news, I get updates on Facebook from Art Times, Steampunk sites, MoMA, The Paris Review.

Upcoming art openings: 
Nomad World Pub on Cedar Ave. Thursday Nov 13 2014  6-8 pm. Musical guests: Meme. 
Ongoing - Tres Leches Art 1500 Jackson NE in the Northrup King Building 1st Floor.



Image List:
1. Crown of Thorns
2. Mobile detail
3. Things I Miss
4. Oiseau In Our Midst
5. Headshot Dom