I'd like you to meet Kim Poole. My first interaction with Kim was over a year ago when she viewed one of my earlier videos on YouTube and without knowing me became a great source of info on lighting and how to use my webcam LOL. I've followed her every since and have always been inspired and amazed at the many colorful things she does.
Artful, Charitable, Eclectic, Kim Poole!
How are you today Kim?
Fantastic, feeling good, well rested and energized!
What artful thing are you working on right now?
I have lots of irons in the fire. There is a project going on in every available corner of my house! At the moment, I am obsessed with what I call my "Yarn Art". I got the idea to create a hat for my friend who desperately needed one this past winter. I had a few skeins of yarn and a crochet needle but I don't understand crochet patterns, so I was left to my own invention. Surprised at the good outcome of the first hat, I kept making more. I love working with all the different colors of yarn and experimenting with this new kind of palette. I've made so many hats now, that I've decided to put them up for sale on my Etsy site. I am also going to give some of the hats to "Hats For The Homeless" this winter. "Hats For The Homeless" is a charity I have created. It's in the very early stages but I foresee this becoming a huge charity event in the near future.
That’s Great Kim. You’ll have to keep us updated on that.
You have so much energy! What motivates you and what keeps you going?
(Laughs) I don't have as much energy as it may look like in my videos. I have my down times, like everyone else. I just usually don't film them. Making people happy through my artwork and hopefully advancing my career in art, as opposed to maintaining my status as a starving artist is what motivates me. What keeps me going? Coffee and chocolate. (Laughs)
You’re from Cincinnati? Were you born there?
Yes, I was born in Cincinnati. Although as a child, we traveled back and forth a lot. My mother was a free spirit and we were always traveling out west to California, Colorado and Utah. I truly believe all this traveling as a young child has made me more adaptable to new surroundings and situations. People are creatures of habit, for the most part and some find it difficult to move around a lot, yet I love to travel!
You have so much going on. Were you busy as a child?
Heck yeah man! I was always busy as a child. I was "that kid" in the neighborhood who organized backyard carnivals, theater, lemonade stands, and nature hikes. I would dig clay from the creek bed and take it home and make pots and bake them in my mother's oven. I got a typewriter for my 12th birthday and I wrote and distributed a neighborhood newspaper. (Laughs) Yep, I was a busy child. I suppose it was the technique I used to make new friends since we were always on the move.
What other Art forms do you indulge in?
I am an active photographer and videographer, my trusty camera is with me wherever I go. I am attracted to creating artistic clothing right now, to be sold at concerts this spring and summer. I love to mix business with pleasure. I also have two acrylic paintings I am working on at the moment, The Tango and the Cincinnati Skyline (the view from my window). I also love Recycling-Art and have been working on bottles as vases for Christmas gifts, & rehabbing old book ends I found at a local thrift store, using Gary Reef's plexi-glass technique. I am also making an artistic lamp, using a technique I learned from Heather Snow. I used to be fervent in my work with Batik, and am reigniting that flame as well. My passion also tends toward writing and my daughters and I are working on a children’s book for which we have big dreams. We fantasize that one day Pixar will make it into a movie! Wow, exciting dreams, eh?
What do you do for fun?
Do you mean outside of art? Because ART is my fun. (Laughs) I enjoy hanging out with my friends and family, having big dinner parties with lots of good food, wine. I'm lucky to have kids and friends who play musical instruments so it's a lot of fun to listen and sing along after dinner. I also enjoy being in nature, camping or hiking in the woods, on the beach or in the mountains. Nature is my church. I love playing with my little fur baby, Miss Mollie, who has a genuine humorous personality and is such a joy and comfort to me.
Talk to us about the Traveling Painting.
I could go on forever about The Traveling Painting! It is one of my greatest passions. The Traveling Painting is a project I started in 2007. I sent a painting out on a journey around the world. The goal is every country in the world, every state in the United States. An artist from each country or state adds their magic on the painting and then sends it on to another country and/or artist. As of April 15, 2010 the painting has visited Florida, Michigan, The United Kingdom, Norway, South Australia, New Zealand, The Netherlands, Ireland and Israel. At this very moment the painting is in transit, on its way to Germany. The goal is for the painting to see a new country/artist every two weeks. The project now has it's own channel on YouTube. Kyle (aka AcademyArtVenture) has been a big help in the creation of this channel. At the Genesis of the project, I was continually asked, "What are you going to do with the painting when it's finished?" I would always answer "It's not the destination, it's the journey." I still believe that, however some exciting developments in the evolution of the project have been occurring. There is a book in the making and plans for future art exhibits and conventions. It's very exciting! A portion of the proceeds from the project's earnings will be given to Gary Reef's "Artists In Need" foundation, benefitting artists all around the world. Of course, these things will take time, but it is nice to know that this wonderful project will not just travel but will actually help artists in need in the future.
How has this experience rewarded you?
I think the greatest gift I have received from the project is purely having the opportunity to connect with and make new friends all around the world. An opportunity that I may not have had, were it not for the project. It's been an amazing journey so far and I have met so many wonderful human beings and fantastic artists, it's difficult to put the rewards into words. The rewards aren't tangible, they're feelings, lovely feelings. I feel the project is our own personal contribution to World Peace. A simple way of communicating to our world leaders that people from every country in the world can and want to live in harmony. Yesterday, The Traveling Painting left the hands of Josef Rault, an artist from Israel. Josef sent the painting on to Coboldt, an artist who lives in Germany. From Israel to Germany, it gives me goose bumps and a warm fuzzy feeling inside. That is the reward of The Traveling Painting Project experience.
What is your favorite Art or Craft?
That is a tough question, I am like a little kid in a candy store when it comes to art! I want to try everything. I want to learn how to do every technique. I want to experience it all. What's my favorite? Every single thing to do with art, everything is my favorite. Doing the same type of art over and over again would be too much like working in a factory and I definitely do not put out factory artwork.
You’re keeping a video diary of your life basically. What prompted you to do this?
I lost my mother, my best friend, when I was just twenty-seven. The simple reason for my keeping a video diary is for my three children. I want them to have a place where they can go, after I've gone to next realm, and still be able to see and hear me on the days when they really miss me and need a "Mommy" fix. I wish YouTube had been around when my mother was still alive, because even at the age of 54, some days I still need my own "Mommy" fix.
What is the most personal thing you would ever post?
I have pretty much been an open book on YouTube. As to what I might or might not post in the future, that remains a mystery, even to me.
What do you see in the future of Art and Mixed Media? For example I see a lot more young motivated artists expressing themselves in ways we’ve never seen before thanks to motivation and technology. What do you see?
I think you're right Steph, art is definitely heading in the direction of the new technologies and it is going to be simply amazing. Exciting stuff you'd never dream of seeing is going to come to fruition. Now, I haven't done any research on this subject, nor have I ever seen it, this is totally off the top of my head at this exact moment. You know how they have been fooling around with the hologram stuff, right? In the future, I see we will come home from a hard day at the office and be able to push a button on a console that will turn our living quarters into 3 dimensional artworks of our choice! You could "decorate" each individual room with a different painting by a famous artist or use one of your own original paintings. Talk about mixed media! The paintings are transformed into living, breathing, moving, holograms. You could create your own world to be anyway you want it, to suit your mood for the day. Each hologram painting would come complete with default sounds and scents that the painting would have if it were real or you can program your own. Imagine you are walking through a Paul Cezanne painting where everything in the painting comes to life, the native women from Tahiti are walking past you, carrying their baskets. They look real. You can program them to speak to you, program them to say whatever you want! You hear the sounds of the waves. You can smell the fresh fruit in their baskets, the scent of sea salt in the air. Imagine a Frida Kahlo painting, the monkeys are chattering and jumping from tree to tree! I'd choose the Salvador Dali painting "Sleep" (1937) for my bedroom. I'd program the giant head to waiver ever so gently upon it's crutches and make creaking, calming, soothing sounds that would lull me to sleep. Your home could be transformed into whatever artworks you choose. You could have special themes for parties, create your own original artwork for your guests and special events. Halloween would be a real hoot! Think about the ways this technology could change art museums, art shows! Well that's my wild imagination, but I do believe art will take a turn in this direction at some point in the future. I hope I live long enough to see it. Talk about living in color!
LOL That is definitely Living In Color!
What Inspiration would you like to share with readers?
View the world through the eyes of a child and you will never run out of inspiration.
"WorldPeace
Celebrate Diversity
EVOLVE PEOPLE!"
Thank you so much Kim.
It's been my pleasure, thank you Steph. I am honored to be included along side all of the other wonderful artists that you've showcased.
Where can we find out more about you and your Art?
