Artist Statement, Biography, Resume, Interviews and Favorite Quotes

Artist Statement

My art is the way I explore ideas concerning both day-to-day life as well as more profound ideas surrounding relationships, the environment and culture. It is a meditative practice of sorts that helps me stop and think about life. Over the years, I have developed a personal visual language that uses symbolism and surrealism to transform my subject matter into archetypal images. I have been told this gives my work a mythical quality making them both timely as well as timeless.
I create my art in series so I can fully investigate my subject matter. The size of each series is determined by what I need to think through and what holds my interest. While all my art plays well together, most are complete works of art on their own. Bear Hugs, Evening & Morning Star, and WoMan, are exceptions in that they are bonded pairs that were created together and need each other to complete the visual statement.
I am often asked where I find inspiration for my artwork. In answer to this, I would say life is full of inspiration and I find it wherever I happen to be. It may be when I am traveling in other countries, or when I lived in China, or here in the States. I find if I look to nature, ideas for new work are all around me. I have found inspiration looking at trees that were peeking through a window in a thoughtfully crafted room in Japan. I was inspired by a sweet-faced mud-covered cow I saw standing by a road in Thailand. A delightful, spotted creature running through the woods in the States, has sparked new ways of thinking. These are just a few examples, and their resulting artwork can be seen in my Landscape, Cosmic, and (e)Xtrasensory Series'.
When I am thinking about what my mission as an artist is, I have to say that I strive to create work that is aesthetically, and emotionally, meaningful. The fact that I portray all living beings as equals to be considered, and valued, is very important to me both as an artist, and a person.
The historically important artists I most admire are: Kathe Kollwitz, a German Expressionistic printmaker/sculptor; Remedios Varo, a Spanish/Mexican Surrealistic painter; Brancusi, a Romanian Minimalist sculptor; and Elizabeth Catlett, an American/Mexican Contemporary printmaker/sculptor. These very different artists all inspired me to create my own visual language, which is accessible to others while remaining intimately personal.

Kathleen Zimmerman

Biography

What inspires Kathleen Zimmerman?

"Life. Creating artwork is a kind of meditative practice that helps me slow down and think about life. The act of creating seems to help me make some sense of the world that I find myself in."

The world Kathleen Zimmerman first found herself in was a beautiful one. She was born in Fort Collins, Colorado, which is nestled along the front range of the Rocky Mountains. Her father was a carpenter, with a love for the outdoors and her mother was an educator, with a love for the arts.

At the early age of three, Zimmerman, along with her family, began spending their free time either exploring the mountains of Colorado, or in the horse pasture with their beloved Welsh pony. These were developmental experiences that instilled in Zimmerman, a love for the natural world and a strong bond with animals.

Zimmerman with apple — Zimmerman with her dad, sister and brother (Kathleen is wearing jumper with apple)

When asked about the early stages of being an artist, Zimmerman says that as far back as she can remember she wanted to make things. This need to create and her special way of expressing what she saw and felt was noticed in school and beyond. Zimmerman excelled in her art classes and was awarded artistic merit scholarships from the University of Hartford's Art School, in West Hartford, Connecticut. There, she graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts. During the same time period, she was awarded a public commission for her first life-sized bronze sculpture titled Melody. Melody is part of the renowned Benson Park Sculpture Garden in Loveland, Colorado.

Zimmerman with neighborhood kids (Kathleen is on the far right)

After graduating from the art school, Zimmerman wanted to fully develop her artistic skills and raise a family. So, she took a number of printmaking classes at ZeaMays Printmaking and worked for Lands End Sculpture Center making molds of monumental sculpture while she raised her two sons with her husband. Once her sons were grown, her husband and she took advantage of a residency in China.

There she worked full-time as an artist, became part of a group of international artists, and explored China's culture. During these five years, she also traveled to countries like Mongolia, Japan and New Zealand, to name a few. These experiences gave Zimmerman a broad perspective on life and helped her develop her collector worthy body of artwork. The drawings from this period were exhibited in China, as well as in the States, in both group and solo exhibitions, where she won numerous awards and honorary memberships.

Zimmerman with husband in China — Zimmerman with husband, Michael, in China

When the Zimmermans moved back to the States, Kathleen Zimmerman exhibited widely, was awarded a Regional Arts Grant, and founded Zimmerman Fine Art Studio. It was at this time that Zimmerman began creating hand-made prints. She had made lithographs, while she was in art school, but she was now looking for a printmaking method that fit with her current work. First, she created a number of intaglio prints but then found that serigraphic prints were also a great match for her artwork.

Now that Kathleen Zimmerman has created a strong body of mature artwork, she has acquired gallery representation, is collected by private collectors, is included in international group, national group and solo exhibitions. All these factors, along with her continued need to create keeps her busy in the studio and looking to nature for inspiration.

On reflection of her life and art up to this point, Zimmerman says she needed to live a balanced life before she felt she had something worth sharing. This thoughtful way of looking at life, and art, is evident in both the subject matter she chooses, and her refined vision. A quote from Zimmerman as she talked about her art follows:

"I have a strong bond to the natural world, an inherent way of seeing and a very active imaginary world. All those things have come together in my art. As a young artist, all I thought about was creating unique works of art. Now that I am a mature artist, I also think about how these works of art can make a difference in the world. Maybe even help others make sense of the world they find themselves in."

Resume

Education

Kathleen Zimmerman received artistic merit scholarships and academic grants from the University of Hartford Art School in West Hartford, CT. There she earned her BFA majoring in sculpture & printmaking. Since graduation, she has taken printmaking workshops at Zea Mays Printmaking in Florence, MA, made molds of large scale sculpture for Lands End Sculpture Center, taught art to middle school children in the public school system, participated in an informal residency in Beijing, China before opening up her own studio, Zimmerman Fine Art Studio, in Willington, CT.

Art

Kathleen Zimmerman's love affair with form, along with her natural tendency to use symbolism and surrealism in her work, has come together to create her distinctive visual language. Zimmerman uses this language to communicate ideas concerning relationships, the environment and culture. Elements of the natural world, especially animals, are the subject matter she uses to express these ideas. Drawing, printmaking, sculpture and the written word are her mediums of choice.

Exhibitions (a few selected shows in chronological order)

Solo Exhibitions

Canal Street Art Gallery, Look to Nature - Up Close & Personal, Bellows Falls, VT

GR Art Gallery, Look to Nature, Stamford, CT

Norman Stevens Gallery, Symbolic & Surreal, Storrs, CT

Bell Galleries, Symbolic & Surreal, Simsbury, CT

Kehler Liddell Gallery, Couples, New Haven, CT

Alexey von Schlippe Gallery, China Drawings, Groton, CT

Farmington Valley Art Center, Symbolic & Surreal, Avon, CT

Zimmerman Fine Art Studio, Open Studio, Beijing, China

Arlene McDaniels Gallery, Kathleen Zimmerman, Simsbury, CT

International and National Group Exhibitions

One Art Space, NAWA’s 134th Annual Members Exhibition, NYC (National)

Five Points Art Center, 2023 Printmaking Juried Exhibition, Torrington, CT (International)

DeDee Shattuck Gallery, BIG INK, Westport, MA (National)

National Association of Women Artists Gallery, The Paths We Take, NYC (National)

One Art Space, NAWA’s 132nd Annual Members Exhibition, NYC (National)

Artios Gallery, HOME, NYC (National)

The Art Center, Printmaking from the Edge, Dover, NH (International)

South Gallery, NAWA’s 129th Annual Members’ Exhibition, NYC (National)

Greg Moon Art, Wilder Nightingale & David Anthony Fine Art Galleries, Taos Art Insurgency, Taos NM (National)

National Association of Women Artists Gallery, Open Small Works, NYC (National)

National Association of Women Artists Gallery, Ev(e)ulotion, NYC (National)

National Association of Women Artists Gallery, Clothing Optional, NYC (National)

Cavalier Gallery, Sculpture Walk, Greenwich, CT (National)

Benson Park Sculpture Garden, Sculpture in the Park, Loveland, CO (International/ Public Commission)

Regional Group Exhibitions

Canal Street Art Gallery, Open at Atlantic Gallery Exhibition, NYC (Represented Artist)

Connecticut Academy of Fine Art, 2024 CAFA+Members Exhibition, CT (Elected Membership)

Wedeman Gallery, Ambition, Newton, MA (NAWAMA Juried Exhibition)

Kehler Liddell Gallery, 20th Anniversary Members Group Show, New Haven, CT (Invited Artist))

Canal Street Art Gallery, Summer Group Show, Bellows Falls, VT (Represented Artist)

Galatea Gallery, Contrast, Boston, MA (NAWAMA Juried Exhibition)

Gallery on the Green, Word/Art, Canton, CT (Invitated Artist)

Wellfleet Preservation Hall, Depth Perception, Wellfleet, MA (NAWAMA Juried Exhibition)

Connecticut Academy of Fine Art, 2023 CAFA+Members Exhibition, CT (Elected Membership)

Canal Street Art Gallery, Art For All Exhibition, Bellows Falls, VT (Represented Artist)

Connecticut Academy of Fine Art, 2022 CAFA+Members Exhibition, CT (Elected Membership)

The New Leaf Gallery, Calling on Special Places, Keene, NH (Patrons Choice Award - Invited Artist)

Connecticut Academy of Fine Art, 2021 Annual Exhibition, CT (Elected Membership)

Canal Street Art Gallery, Summer Group Show, Bellows Falls, VT (Offered Representation)

State of Connecticut Office of the Arts, 2017 Artists Live, Storrs, CT (Regional Art Grantee)

Mystic Museum of Art, The 59th Regional, Mystic, CT (Award for Works on Paper)

Mill Gallery, 66th GAL Annual Juried Show, Guilford, CT (John Fleming Memorial Award)

Jorgenson Gallery, CT Women Artists, Storrs, CT (Award for Works on Paper)

New Britain Museum of American Art, Nor'easter, New Britain, CT (Award for Sculpture)

Slater Museum of Art, CT Academy of Fine Art, Norwich, CT (Awarded Elected Membership)

Memberships (juried)

National Association of Women Artists, Inc., Signature member

Connecticut Academy of Fine Arts, Elected member

Connecticut Women Artists, Elected member

ZeaMays Printmaking, Artist member

Collections (selected)

Modern Multiples, Los Angeles, CA

Benson Park Sculpture Garden, Loveland, CO

Canal Street Art Gallery collectors, Bellow Falls, VT

Tilting at Windmills’ collectors, Manchester, VT

Kehler Liddel Gallery's collectors, New Haven, CT

Arlene McDaniels Gallery's collectors, Simsbury, CT

Heike & Chris Bargmann, China & Germany

Barbara Scavotto-Early & Rich Early, Enfield, CT

David & Susan Thatcher, Cape Cod, MA

Rich & Louise McClure, Golden, CO

Books and Publications

Magic Circle: Animal Tales / Poems, published 2024

https://www.blurb.com/b/11930658-magic-circle

Magic Circle: Animal Tales / Poems, selected poems published 2024

Sanctuary Magazine, Poetry Corner (February Issue)

china through an artist’s eyes: drawings, published 2022

https://www.blurb.com/b/11722272-china-through-an-artist-s-eyes

ABC…The Art of Contemporary Artist Kathleen Zimmerman, published 2021 (updated version 2023)

https://www.blurb.com/b/11782623-abc

Look to Nature - Serigraphs - Kathleen Zimmerman Artist, published 2020 (updated version 2023)

https://www.blurb.com/b/11663677-look-to-nature

References

“It gives me great pleasure to recommend Kathleen Zimmerman to you. I worked both formally and informally with Kathleen throughout her years of study at the Hartford Art School. Kathleen quite simply is a wonderful artist and person. She started classes at Hartford Art School with a lot of talent and through much hard work and dedication rapidly became one of the school’s pace setters as well as one of the school’s prized students. Kathleen always works at her peak performance and so became an inspiration to all of those around her. She is extremely bright and assimilates her experiences directly into her work. Kathleen is a solid draughts person who is constantly working to improve her drawing skills. Her work, though sometimes representational, works on the abstract level as well. She has a knack for developing the subtleties that are present in her subject and presenting them powerfully to her viewer. I feel her work is sensitive and thoroughly engaging. Kathleen Zimmerman is a delightful person. Her personality is cheerful and upbeat and her dedication is relentless. I enthusiastically recommend Kathleen to you.”

Fred Wessel - artist and retired tenured professor who was head of the printmaking department at University of Hartford Art School

"Kathleen's intricate, delicately layered graphite drawings each appear to come together to form the complex entity. As with life, each lovely drawing is made up of so many ethereal textures, shades and shapes that you want to look at more deeply to experience the emotions visually laid out before you."

Julia Provone - artist and curator who founded and ran the Alexey von Schlippe Gallery on University of Connecticut’s Avery Campus

“Kathleen is one of the most productive and innovative artists who I have the pleasure of knowing. Her style is easy to recognize both of her drawings and her sculptures. Her collection of drawings, which were inspired by her stay in China, are both imaginative and masterful. The fluidity of her lines and the softness of her shading, compose a powerful and exquisite delicacy that captivate the viewer. The same holds true for her sculptures with surfaces that flow like landscapes or waterways. I would recommend Kathleen for her professionalism, her consistent and prolific work habits, her attention to form and content using symbolism, detail, composition and originality. I have admired her work since we met years ago - fellow sculptors and friends. Her manner of living and creating Art are abundant with sensitivity and thoughtful perceptions. She translates her life into volumes of expressive works, both visual and literary and her character is as amiable as her Art."

Barbara Scavotto-Early - artist, art teacher who became a patron and a friend

"Benson Sculpture Garden...this public treasure annually draws tens of thousands of visitors from around the globe. It has been recognized as one of the 200 most important modern and contemporary art sites around the world and as one of the 20 must-see contemporary art sites across the USA. Kathleen's sculpture, Melody, was selected for permanent placement in Benson Sculpture Garden in 1992. It is a beautiful piece... And, after more than 20 years, it continues to be a favorite piece in our collection."

Polly Juneau - Chairman on the Board of Directors of the Loveland High Plains Arts Council who purchased Melody

Interviews

A couple of artist interviews that capture Kathleen’s humble, and endearing, way of talking about her life and her art. One was recorded at a local radio station at a historic time in history in March 2020 and the other was recorded by the National Association of Women Artists in NYC in April 2023.

Favorite Quotes

"Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication."

“Where the spirit does not work with the hand, there is no art.”

Leonardo da Vinci

"I totally agree that there must be understanding between the artist, and the people. In the best ages of Art, that has always been the case."

Kathe Kollwitz

"He (or she) who works with his (or her) hands is a laborer.

He (or she) who works with his (or her) hands and his (or her) head is a craftsman.

He (or she) who works with his (or her) hands and his (or her) head and his (or her) heart is an artist."

St. Francis of Assisi

“Our task must be to free ourselves by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature and its beauty.”

"Creativity is intelligence having fun."

Albert Einstein

"Do your Art for yourself first. Then no matter what happens, you have been true to yourself and your soul will be richer for it!"

“Art can be timely as well as timeless, and start a revolution of kindness.”

Kathleen Zimmerman