“I am humbled each time I begin a new work. Working as an artist endlessly challenges me to grow and learn, always with the hope the results might capture a fragment of the sacred I recognize in the naturalworld.” I grew up in Northern California in a bucolic, rural setting where loggerhead shrike and western meadowlarks kept me company on the walk home from school. Red-tailed hawks, kestrels and kites, anna’s hummingbirds and burrowing owls were abundant on my family’s ranch. Instead of an alarm clock, I woke in the early mornings to a chorus of birdsong. After college, I was focused on learning to draw and paint and set to work depicting the birds and animals I knew. I studied anatomy, drawing and illustration at the California College of Arts and Crafts, which prepared me to work as a nature illustrator. Years later, I painted figuratively and changed my medium to oil while studying at the historic Palette & Chisel Academy of Art in Chicago. I eventually returned to painting the natural world, especially birds and their habitats because they fascinate me. Today, I spend hours each week outdoors observing birds and wildlife, taking photos, making sketches, and recording color information for reference in the studio. Concepts for paintings emerge from my personal experiences in nature. I enjoy the challenge of using paint to translate the textures, patterns and palettes I observe in nature. Rather than aiming to reproduce photo-realistic images, my goal is to create unique interpretations of my subject that move beyond the photo and convey the attributes, mannerisms and behaviors that drew me to the subject. A few years ago, I began to experiment with painting on panels of gold and silver leaf. The brilliance of the leaf introduces reflective light to the surface of the painting, and provides an interesting contrast to the natural oil pigments and my representational style. It also seems to elevate the stature of my subject because of its inherent opulence.I am personally renewed daily by my experiences in nature. I hope you can feel my passion for the beautiful creatures with whom we share our world and that you are inspired to do what you can to protect their habitats and ensure their presence for generations to come. EDUCATIONUniversity of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI - Bachelor of Arts in English Literature 1980 | California College of the Arts, Oakland, CA - 1982-1984 - Drawing, Illustration | Palette & Chisel Academy of Fine Art, Chicago, Illinois - Painting, Life Drawing | Workshops: Rose Frantzen, Nancy Guzik, Clayton Beck and Johanna Harmon ILLUSTRATION The Nature Company, Berkeley, CA 1984-1989 | Freelance Illustrator 1989-1992 NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITIONSBirds in Art 2012-2016, 2018-2020 | Society of Animal Artists Member Exhibition 2020 | American Women Artists 2020, 2021 Spring Online Juried Show | Annual Mountain Oyster Club Contemporary Western Art Show, 2019-20 | Richeson 75 International Exhibitions | The Art of the Heartland 2015, 2016, 2018 | The Laumeister Fine Art Competition 2015 | Oil Painters of America, Western Regional Exhibition of Traditional Oils, 2021 Recipient of the Animal Award of Excellence, National Exhibition of Traditional Oils, 2015, Eastern Regional Exhibition of Traditional Oils, 2014-15, Salon Show, 2013, 2016 | National Oil and Acrylic Painters Society (NOAPS) Online International Show, 2013 | American Impressionist Society Small Works Showcase, 2018 REGIONAL EXHIBITIONSJackson Hole Invitational Exhibition, 2021, Gallery Wild, Jackson, Wyoming | Celebrating Birds, Kimberly Beck, Kristina Knowski and Sue Gombus, South Shore Arts Atrium, 2019 | Intersection, Kimberly Beck and Lenin Delsol, Palette & Chisel Academy of Art, 2018 | Gold Medal Show 2013-2016, Palette & Chisel Academy of Fine Art | Portraits of the Palette, 2012-2016, Palette & Chisel Academy of Fine Art | Birds & Bees, 2018 Group Exhibition, Lubeznik Center for the Arts, Michigan City, Indiana | South Shore Arts Salon Show, 2017, Winner of Merit Award | Michigan Annual Art Competition 2017, Box Car Factory, St. Joseph, MI | Dune Birds in Art, 2017, Indiana Dunes Birding Festival Juried Exhibition | Hear the Rhythm of the Birds, Featured Artist, 2015, Brushwood Center for the Arts, Deerfield, Illinois | Art is for the Birds, 2013, Deerpath Art League Group Show, Lake Forest, Illinois PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS American Women Artists, Associate Member with Distinction | Society of Animal Artists, Associate Member | Artists for Conservation, Signature Member | Oil Painters of America 2012-2019 | Portrait Society of America 2011-2019 | Palette & Chisel Academy of Fine Art 2009-2019