Magic Circle and More!

Magic Circle is a collection of artwork in various medias from drawings to intaglio prints to readings to an illustrated book. It began with a series of graphite drawings that Kathleen Zimmerman created after she graduated from Art School. At that time she realized she wanted to create Art that had meaning to her not just what was the current trend in Art or what someone else thought Art should be. She had already developed a distinctive visual language and in these drawings she wanted to express her love for the natural world and strong connection with animals. So, she began drawing different circles of life to communicate the interconnectedness of all things using a few animals in each. One circle of life drawing is shown below, which is titled Tundra.

These drawings inspired her to clarify her thinking about life and the wonderful creatures that we share the planet with. Her prolonged interest in philosophy, and mythology, had its influence and caused her to write a mythical tale titled Magic Circles. Spirits, forces of nature, and circles of life, made up the cast of characters. As she was writing Magic Circles, she began using different animals from each circle of life drawing in short animal tales at the end of each chapter to expand the ideas of her main storyline. These animal tales eventually became her main interest and with the help of her son Jacob, became poetic.

These animal tales / poems are what make up the book Magic Circle (above) along with seven circle of life illustrations. Magic Circle plays with life’s issues faced in infancy, youth, maturity. middle age, old age, death/rebirth and ending in the here and now. There are three animal tales/poems dealing with different aspects of these issues making up the seven chapters; Magic Ocean, Magic Jungle, Magic Forest, Magic Savanna, Magic Tundra, Magic Desert and Magic Farm. To see a preview and to order the newly released book click on this link: https://www.blurb.com/b/11930658-magic-circle or contact us by going to the contact page on this website.

Besides the book, Kathleen began performing readings of these animal tales / poems both at art exhibitions, poetry readings, and for her own entertainment. One recording of a reading, Bear, Porcupine, and Me can be heard by clicking on the arrow above, but the whole series can be heard by going to the menu item, Magic Circle Readings.

Recently, Kathleen translated her drawings into a small edition of intaglio prints. These hand-made prints capture the simple beauty of the drawings but by using ink instead of graphite, white charcoal, and spots of acrylic paint, they offer the viewer a more contrasted, textured and highlighted version. Above are studio photos of the etched plates, a wiped plate, a print being pulled, the plate and the print shown together, the print hung up to start the drying process and prints edited and framed. Below are the edited prints: Ocean, Jungle, Forest, Savanna, Tundra, Desert, and Farm. While these circles of life may seem simple; drawing in a circular format, interlocking the imagery and creating a set of seven that all go together is not. We are quite proud of this collection and Kathleen Zimmerman’s artistic vision. Their first exhibition will be in Chelsea Art District in New York City this month!

Exhibitions starting and finishing this month!

Canal Street Art Gallery’s Open

April 16 - May 4

Atlantic Gallery

548 W. 28th St., Suite 540, New York, NY

Opening Reception: Thursday April 18th 6 - 8pm 

Besides the above intaglio/charcoal/paint prints, Zimmerman’s cast sculpture Global - Bear Hug and Moon Rabbit will be part of this exhibition. (shown below)

Canal Street Art Gallery’s New Work

February 16 - April 13

23 Canal Street, Bellows Falls, Vermont

Opening Reception: Friday February 16th 5 - 7pm 

Rights - Unbalanced, an intaglio/charcoal print on the right, is part of the New Works Exhibition at Canal Street Art Gallery on view in their Vermont gallery until April 13th. (shown below)

Art can be timely as well as timeless,

and start a revolution of kindness.

Kathleen Zimmerman

Zimmerman Fine Art Studio

Winter delights!

I just received this notice!

Dear Kathleen Zimmerman,

We are pleased to inform you that your work, referenced below, has been accepted in the up-coming NAWA exhibition, WINTER SMALL WORKS, online at www.thenawa.org

Online Exhibition Dates
February 1-29, 2024

Online Reception and Awards Announcement
Thursday, February 15, 5-6 pm

Note: NAWA stands for National Association of Women Artists

If that wasn’t reason enough to be delighted, this hand-made serigraph was also accepted into the Connecticut Academy of Fine Arts exhibition, CAFA + Members, online at www.ctacademy.org/exhibitions/cafa-members-2024/all

Online Exhibition Dates
January 27 - March 2, 2024

Universe Series - Monkey Mars, hand-made serigraph, image size 8 x 8.

Artist Statement

Universe Series uses a variety of animals to represent life as they ponder the latest scientific theories concerning the Universe. These playful explorations look toward space and at human kinds' reaction to it.

Monkey Mars is a serigraphs, or more commonly known as silkscreen print. It is a hand-made, small-edition print, that uses my graphite drawing as its basis, and is an original work of art. What makes serigraphy the perfect printmaking method for my art, is I can retain areas of pure white paper, capture the tonality of my drawings, and place blocks of intense color that either overlaps part of the image, or lightly kisses the edge of image.

Serigraphy. is a modern printmaking method with a very old history. Stencil-based, hand-made prints originated during the tenth century in China. They made their first appearance in Europe around the 18th century and are used throughout the world today. This mode of printmaking has evolved over time, so that Modern artists such as Pablo Picasso and Marc Chagall, Pop artists such as Andy Warhol and Peter Max, and Contemporary artists including me, have found it an attractive medium for the creation of fine art.

Besides these two exhibitions, I just released a new video featuring my current collection of sculpture. Most of the pieces imaged are models for large-scale installations to be placed in the landscape while a few of the pieces are for life-sized artwork to be placed in interior spaces. The first group of sculptures are animal-related works while the rest are figurative pieces, ending with Melody. Melody was my first life-sized sculpture and public commissioned piece.

In the studio, I have been busy making intaglio plates! Below are six of my circle of life, or Zoo Series, curing by the window. If you look hard you are see Farm, Forest and Jungle right by the window. Desert, Savanna, and Tundra are closer but even harder to see. All are backwards on the plate so they print the right way. Once they are fully hardened, I will start the process of printing them but that will take awhile so better left to my next post.

In print, I will close this post with one last notification that delighted me this winter. Three of my poems, and the artwork that inspired them, were published in Sanctuary Magazine’s Poetry Corner! Click on the following link to see them online https://www.sanctuary-magazine.com/poetry-corner.html

As teasers, below are the readings of these three poems. The complete collection of reading are on the menu item Magic Circle Readings on this website.

Magic Desert - Camel, Snake and Gecko

Magic Farm - Dog Cat, and Pig

Magic Tundra - Moose, Hare, and Puffin.

Enjoy, and stay warm in both body and soul!

Kathleen Zimmerman

Connection

We are all connected in one way or another. To the world at large and to our chosen communities.

In Kathleen Zimmerman’s latest drawing, Bob’s Kat (shown above) and a recent video about her residency in China (shown below), allude to her connection to the world at large. China Through An Artist’s Eyes in book form can be previewed at the following link.

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

Zimmerman’s memberships in National Association of Women Artists Organization, Zea Mays Printmaking Studio, and her repeated appearance in Sanctuary Magazine, demonstrate her connection to these chosen communities.

The National Association of Women Artists Organization is based in New York City but also has a Massachusetts Chapter. Zimmerman is a Signature Member and has shown in many shows with NAWA but just last year become a member of the Massachusetts Chapter as well. The images below are from the opening of their latest group exhibition titled Ambition. The opening was held at the Wedeman Gallery in Newton, Massachusetts, which is located just west of Boston. The full exhibition dates, and address, are listed below.

Exhibition Dates: November 8 - December 9, 2023

Location: Wedeman Gallery, The Yamawaki Art & Cultural Center, Lasell College, 47 Myrtle Avenue, Newton, MA 02466

As requested for this exhibition, Kathleen recorded a short artist statement concerning her juried in entry, Dreamscape. (Click on the arrow below) Dreamscape is the intaglio/chine colle’ print shown in the center two images above. The other three works are also in the show. Go to previous post, or “print” on this website’s menu, to see a detailed view of Dreamscape.

Links to Zimmerman’s Member pages at NAWA and Zea Mays Printmaking are listed below.

https://thenawa.org/member_artist_page/kathleen-zimmerman/

https://www.zeamaysprintmaking.com/see-prints/members-galleries/kathleen-zimmerman/

The designs below are for hand-made serigraphs that Zimmerman will be creating at Zea Mays Printmaking as well as Zimmerman Fine Art Studio beginning in December.

These designs are related to a series of reliefs. Both have to do with the interconnectiveness of all things. Below is a quick photo of the plaster models of Nature Contained. To see bronze version go to “sculpture” on this website’s menu.

Zimmerman is thrilled with the connection she has made to Sanctuary Magazine. This online magazine interviewed Zimmerman in the magazine in the fall of 2022. (link below)

https://www.sanctuary-magazine.com/fine-artist-kathleen-zimmerman.html

Early in 2024, three of Zimmerman’s animal tale/poems from her Magic Circle book will be published for their Poetry Corner! Below is the initial reading of one of them.


Zimmerman Fine Art Studio

Fall Fun!

This Fall let us enjoy life by attending an art opening, playing an art video, viewing new artwork and /or making one, two, or three, of these lovely creations yours to enjoy at home year round!

(e)Xtrasensory - Dreamscape, intaglio/chine colle’ small edition handmade print, image size 9x7 & framed 18x16. (shown above)

One exhibition you could attend is in Massachusetts, where Zimmerman’s intaglio/chine colle’ print Dreamscape was juried into a national group exhibition titled Ambition.

Exhibition Dates: November 8 - December 9, 2023

Location: Wedeman Gallery, The Yamawaki Art & Cultural Center, Lasell College, 47 Myrtle Avenue, Newton, MA 02466

Reception: Opening Sunday, November 12, 2023, from 4 to 6 pm

Theme: Champion gymnast Simone Biles exemplifies a growing trend in placing self-care above ambition. Similarly, workers in all fields are prompted by the Covid-19 slow-down to re-examine their lives and leave their jobs in droves to pursue freedom and fulfillment. The impact of social isolation, working from home, remote learning, and stimulus checks on attitudes toward ambition and success are staggering. Careers, money, family, health, housing, location, and politics are in the air. In unprecedented numbers, high-tech workers, teachers, and healthcare professionals alike are leaving their jobs, retiring early, renovating homes, and relocating to other parts of the country to “listen to their bodies,” “follow their dreams,” or “feed their souls.” Many artists experience this shift en masse as they delve deeper into their work, change directions, and expand their view of achievement. This exhibition explores new definitions of success and evolving personal and global perspectives on AMBITION.

Artist statement: To me, Ambition is striving to make your dreams a reality. In my (e)Xtrasensory Series, the dogs represent the beneficial spirits that they are. They have helped humanity along life's journey since ancient times. The dog in Dreamscape is there to help guide, and encourage, a person in the arts as they pursue their dreams.

One art video that you could play is Evolution of a Drawing which was released on October 4th. It peeks behind the art with Zimmerman sharing her process by showing the creation of Midday Star. (click on arrow above)

A couple new woodblock prints you can view here are Dark Matter - Tundra and Dark Matter - Farm. These two woodblock prints were created at the studio in early October. They may be joined by a few other variations of Zimmerman’s circle of life designs in the future, so check back here for updates. (shown above)

Also, two graphite drawings that you can view are new to our Vital Series, titled Peace and Seeds. The Vital Series takes elements from the garden, such as peaches and sunflowers, and combines them with elements that are vital for humanity’s continued existence, such as striving for peace and caring for each other. (shown above)

You could make some lovely handmade serigraphs (the first nine), and/or intaglio prints (the last three), right at home in your art collection. Each row of three is a series that was inspired by an idea. The titles hint at what those ideas are. Shown above from top row to bottom row are: East West, Dance, Home, and Offspring Series’. Each series works wonderfully as a group installation. To see Zimmerman’s current collection of prints, click on prints on the upper left corner of the page.

We hope you enjoy Life this fall and beyond, wherever you happen to be.

Zimmerman Fine Art Studio