Origin Story – The Offering

Art For Sale, creativity, Exhibition, Gallery, Narrative, Origin story, process, Story, Works In Progress


The Offering (48″x48″): I love pieces that develop in their own time. As these paintings grow with me over months, my challenges, wishes, joys and sorrows get embedded in the layers. The painting becomes a time capsule that captures who I am and how I’m feeling as the piece evolves.

I love some of the color and energy in the earlier versions, but these passages, while pretty, were meaningless. I relish paintings where the struggle leads me to unknown places and pushes me beyond my capabilities. At their best, my paintings feel like an archeological discovery, as if I’m unearthing something that’s always been there. The finished piece is something I never could (or would) set out to paint. So these origin stories remind me of how a painting came to be…

 


June 15, 2023: I am both here and not here…a meditation on impermanence that is resonating with me today. And so I embedded it in the first layer of this 48″x48″ piece.

 


June 18
: Starting to build up surface history that I can later work back into. Happy to be working large once again…

 


June 22: Working on large pieces in a small studio makes it hard to stand back and view the painting from a distance. So posting progress pics on Instagram scales down the image, allowing me to troubleshoot compositional problems and figure out where the piece wants to go next…🤓

 


June 25: Very early stages yet, but after a brief TimeOut, we’re starting to listen to each other…

Upcoming Feature Show

Art For Sale, Exhibition, Gallery

SANCTUARY

Columbia City Gallery
Exhibit runs Nov 15 – Jan 7

Featured Artists: Tina Albro, Patrick Connelly, Carol Berger Hershman,
Eliaichi Kimaro, Leslie Nan Moon,  Rupa Palasmudram

Opening Reception
Sat., November 18
5 – 7pm
Columbia City Gallery
4864 Rainier Ave S., Seattle 98118
Light refreshments will be served.

 

Artist Statement
Since the pandemic, I’ve come to a deeper understanding and appreciation about the role of art in my life. Making art is no longer an ‘if I have time’ matter. It has become as integral to my well-being as my daily writing practice. Art helps me repair and restore the parts of my soul that are beyond the reach of words.

This collection of new works includes examples of loosening up, digging deep, trying new things, and letting go ~ all creative risks I’ve taken this past year in the comfort and safety of my studio.

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Scanning the Room

Activism, Art For Sale, collaboration, creativity, Exhibition, Gallery
I’m honored to be a participating artist in “Scanning the Room” at Vashon Center for the Arts (May 5-28). This invitational exhibit, co-curated by June Sekiguchi and Lynann Politte, presents works from 20 Asian American Native Hawaiian/ Pacific Islander (AANHPI) artists that speak to identity, politics, or experience of how AANHPI artists view their place in predominantly white spaces.
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You can take a 3D tour of the exhibit HERE.
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And here’s a short reel of our opening night. Thanks to all who came out!! It feels wonderful to be back in spaces where we can gather, discuss, and celebrate the arts!
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A post shared by eliaichi kimaro (@elikimaro)

Art Pages

Art Journal, creativity, Crush/Repeat, Gallery, inspiration, process

In March, I participated in Crush/Repeat, a 31-day challenge to create something every day. I decided to focus on creating a small painting in my sketchbook daily.  And now I can’t stop!

I could line a shelf with all the sketchbooks I’ve abandoned after a couple pages of tentative marks. So I pulled out my smallest (5.5″x8.5″), cheapest sketchbook  and let go of any expectation to produce anything finished. My only goal was to show up & play ~ experimenting with colors, materials and techniques. The lessons learned from these bold little explorations are starting to show up in my larger paintings.

Starting my days by writing in my journal, followed by a 20 minute art page, loosens me up and gets me in the zone. I am no longer tethered to needing a full day in the studio to feel like I got my creativity fix. If 20 minutes is all I have, I know it will be enough. 🤠

(I’m grateful to my friend, Helen Kim, for showing me the way of her morning pages.)

 

McMILLEN FELLOWS EXHIBIT

Art For Sale, collaboration, creativity, Exhibition, Gallery
REMIX
Gallery One, in partnership with The Robert B. McMillen Foundation, celebrates the McMillen Fellows: Katie Miller, Eliaichi Kimaro, Chandler O’Leary, Frank Casey & Emily Somoskey for an exhibition of their work.
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Thank you to Renee Adams and Cassandra Lynne for making this show possible! So lovely to see my paintings playing so nicely alongside the works of my fellow MAC Fellows.
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Gallery One Visual Arts Center
Main Gallery & Mezzanine
408 North Pearl Street, Ellensburg WA 98926
First Friday Opening Reception March 3, 5-7pm

Upcoming Solo Show!

Art For Sale, creativity, Exhibition, Gallery

What a dream ~ my first solo gallery show!!! I am delighted to share that Scarlet Ibis Gallery will be exhibiting my work this November and December.

This will be the debut of the Stacks series I painted this summer ~ wonky, colorful stacks of all sizes to brighten our dark winter months.

Scarlet Ibis Gallery is located in a brilliant yellow building which was built in 1929 to house the Station Master for the railroad.

Opening reception will be Saturday, November 12 from 5-8pm, as part of Georgetown Art Attack.

If you’re in the neighborhood, please stop by. Would love to see you there!! 😃

Upcoming Feature Show

Art For Sale, Exhibition, Gallery

The Seen & The Unseen World  –  60″x 36″ Acrylic mixed media on wood panel

I have been steeped in learning over the past few years, and am excited to share this new body of work. My latest series explores formal and informal grid compositions using a limited palette.

Just a Moment
Columbia City Gallery*
March 23 – May 8, 2022

Opening reception: Sat. March 26 from 5-7pm

Gallery Hours: Wednesday – Sunday, 11-6pm (or by appointment)
While this is my annual feature show,
Columbia City Gallery exhibits my work year round.

Come As You Are – 24″x 24″ Oil & cold wax on wood panel

Winter/Spring Art News…

Art For Sale, collaboration, creativity, education, Exhibition, Gallery, inspiration, Narrative, Origin story, process, Speaking, Story

Just published my Newsletter with updates on 1) creative collaborations with filmmakers, authors, musicians & chefs, 2) my foray into teaching, and 3) shows in venues around town.

You can click the Subscribe button at the top of the page if you would like receive my newsletters (I send out 2-3 a year).

Composing a Life” – Acrylic mixed media on 24″x 24″ wood shipping panel.

 

Winter/Spring 2020 News

Exhibition, Film, Gallery, Narrative, Speaking, Story

Just posted my Winter/Spring 2020 Newsletter which provided the following list of upcoming art shows and film screenings.  If you’re interested in subscribing, click here to view it and select “Subscribe” in the top/left corner.  (I send out 2-3 newsletters a year).

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Upcoming Art Exhibits:

THE CLOUD ROOM
“Showing Signs of Wear”
Solo Show

March 2020
Opening Reception & Artist Talk: March 12, 6-9pm
Capitol Hill Art Walk
* This gorgeous space includes a bar,
so this will be a 21+ event.

 

ART XCHANGE GALLERY
Sense Us 2020
Juried Group Show
March-April 2020
Opening Reception: March 5, 5-8pm
Second Reception:  April 2, 5-8pm
Pioneer Square Art Walk

 

CENTER ON CONTEMPORARY ART (COCA) GALLERY
20/20 Vision“: Juried Member Show
Nichole DeMent (Juror)
March-April 2020
Opening Reception: March 5, 6-9pm
Pioneer Square Art Walk

 

COLUMBIA CITY GALLERY
Featured Artist
May-June 2020
Opening Reception: May 16, 5-7pm

 

CONFLUENCE GALLERY
Twisp, WA
The Stories We Tell
August 29 – October 5, 2020
Fall Art Walk & Studio Tour

*Please note, you can see my art year round at Columbia City Gallery.

The Paths We Travel

Exhibition, family, Gallery, Narrative, Origin story, Story

Artist Statement

As a kid, I found it comforting to think about how wildly the universe had to conspire just so I could be here. I would lie in bed and think about all the serendipitous moments that had to happen just so my Tanzanian father and South Korean mother could meet, halfway around the world, and have me. I would think about the epic stories of love, betrayal, sacrifice, migration, survival ~ all the random encounters and deliberate life choices extending back generations that had to happen just so my parents could meet and have me.

And as I got older, made friends and met their families, I realized that everyone has stories that are epic in scope ~ even if their families have lived in the same town for generations.

Every one of us is the embodiment of the life stories of our parents, our grandparents, our ancestors. We carry their stories forward with us, whether we’re conscious of them or not. But make no mistake ~ we are all here because of these stories.

Making art is how I make sense of these stories I’ve inherited about who I am and where I come from…and the stories I’m now passing down. As a mother, I feel compelled to think about where I stand in this flow of cultural inheritance and legacy. These paintings reflect the internal and external landscapes that have been traversed just to reach this point where our paths could cross in this gallery, in this city, at this moment in time…

Currently on exhibit at
Columbia City Gallery (Seattle)
through Jan. 5, 2020.