Through still-life and figurative painting traditions, Kim Anderson considers the codification of images, psychology of looking, and shifting boundaries between our physical and digital experiences. Household collections and ephemera including amateur photography and figurines are cast into fictional narratives evoking tensions between the personal, the commodity, seeing and being seen. Operating within divergent representational systems including still-life, 19th century cinematic antecedents, and found photographs, her paintings reflect on how images and objects are imbued with meaning, gain value, and become stratified within hierarchies of visual culture. Kim Anderson is an artist and educator residing in Bradenton, Florida and holds the position of Professor of Art at New College of Florida where she has taught since 2004. She earned an MFA from the University of Florida and BFA from California College of Arts and Crafts. Her work has been exhibited nationally in cities including New York, Miami, Atlanta, and Tampa and featured in publications including New American Paintings, Studio Visit Magazine, Create! Magazine, and Manifest INPA and MEA.
Published on March 19th, 2023. Artist responses collected in months previous.
What are you fascinated with right now?
Teaching has been incredibly motivating to me at the moment. It keeps me going creatively and intellectually. I’m teaching my first mural class and enjoying reengaging with the process through my students. Something about painting outside, on large walls feels so egalitarian and democratic. Access to the outdoors seems somehow easier these days, given the pandemic and cost of travel and museums. It is really exciting to see how motivated the students are as well. It’s like there is more on the line and they know their audience in a way that is sometimes harder to determine inside the studio.
What advice would you give your younger artist self?
I was fairly shy and introverted, so my advice would be to not be timid, to try new things, and not to be afraid to put myself out there. Also, build a consistent schedule for the studio, but allow some flexibility for inevitable disruptions. Sometimes working in a new medium can get new ideas flowing anytime there is a block. And breaks can be productive. Allowing mental breaks from the studio is a healthy and necessary part of being creative.
What are your tools for creative resilience these days? Do you have any methods to stay positive when life becomes difficult and perhaps when you have limited time to create?
It’s easy to feel overwhelmed and pulled in different directions. Working on a smaller scale has been helpful, where things that can be finished in a week or two, rather than committing to 8-month projects. Also, schedule time off! Go for walks, swim, exercise, and be with family. Use downtime to plan, take pictures, read, look at and celebrate other artists! There will always be ups and downs, and I try to brace myself for the downs, which is not always easy.
What is your dreamy vision for your creative career and art practice three years from now?
Following the advice to my younger self would be a good place to start. Working more to engage in the community too. Art can exist in the studio but as I grow older, I’m interested in the ways the artist can exist within the community. If the past few years has taught me anything, it’s to be prepared to pivot. I also know I have a lot of ideas piling up, and it would be great to see some of those ideas eventually reach fruition.
How are you being kind to yourself as you look towards realizing your vision for your art career?
I have really had to set my career trajectory on a steady, marathon-paced course. I went straight into teaching out of grad school and that monopolized a lot of my time especially when I was starting out and really figuring things out. Then I had twins, and had to find projects that I could pick up and put down on a moment’s notice. This taught me that things will get done eventually, and that an hour here and there can be cumulatively very productive.
What are you fascinated with right now?
Teaching has been incredibly motivating to me at the moment. It keeps me going creatively and intellectually. I’m teaching my first mural class and enjoying reengaging with the process through my students. Something about painting outside, on large walls feels so egalitarian and democratic. Access to the outdoors seems somehow easier these days, given the pandemic and cost of travel and museums. It is really exciting to see how motivated the students are as well. It’s like there is more on the line and they know their audience in a way that is sometimes harder to determine inside the studio.
What advice would you give your younger artist self?
I was fairly shy and introverted, so my advice would be to not be timid, to try new things, and not to be afraid to put myself out there. Also, build a consistent schedule for the studio, but allow some flexibility for inevitable disruptions. Sometimes working in a new medium can get new ideas flowing anytime there is a block. And breaks can be productive. Allowing mental breaks from the studio is a healthy and necessary part of being creative.
What are your tools for creative resilience these days? Do you have any methods to stay positive when life becomes difficult and perhaps when you have limited time to create?
It’s easy to feel overwhelmed and pulled in different directions. Working on a smaller scale has been helpful, where things that can be finished in a week or two, rather than committing to 8-month projects. Also, schedule time off! Go for walks, swim, exercise, and be with family. Use downtime to plan, take pictures, read, look at and celebrate other artists! There will always be ups and downs, and I try to brace myself for the downs, which is not always easy.
What is your dreamy vision for your creative career and art practice three years from now?
Following the advice to my younger self would be a good place to start. Working more to engage in the community too. Art can exist in the studio but as I grow older, I’m interested in the ways the artist can exist within the community. If the past few years has taught me anything, it’s to be prepared to pivot. I also know I have a lot of ideas piling up, and it would be great to see some of those ideas eventually reach fruition.
How are you being kind to yourself as you look towards realizing your vision for your art career?
I have really had to set my career trajectory on a steady, marathon-paced course. I went straight into teaching out of grad school and that monopolized a lot of my time especially when I was starting out and really figuring things out. Then I had twins, and had to find projects that I could pick up and put down on a moment’s notice. This taught me that things will get done eventually, and that an hour here and there can be cumulatively very productive.