Kimberly Stemler was born and raised in Philadelphia, Pa, and received a BFA in painting from Tyler School of Art, Temple University. Living with her husband Jon and their three boys in a rural area of Montgomery County she is inspired by the land. Her work primarily revolves around landscapes that are densely patterned, layered and focused on color. These landscapes, while abstracted, have the ability to give the viewer a sense of connection to place, time, moment. They can feel nostalgic and almost recognizable, like a fuzzy memory. Another focus of her work tends to revolve around objects that are evocative, wistful, and full of remembrance.
Kimberly is the recipient of Best Abstract Award from the Philadelphia Sketch Club's "Absolutely Abstract" group show and the Member Award from the "Small Works" show located at Studio B in Boyertown. Recent juried shows include InLiquid’s “Crafting Nature”, Media Art’s Council, New Hope Arts “Ancestral Intersection” and solo shows at the Abington Art Center and Cairn University.
Collaborative public work with Jonathan Stemler includes "little red string" temporarily installed in Northern Chinatown through the Asian Arts Initiative in 2009, "alpha and omega", a permanent installation commissioned by New Hanover United Methodist Church, and "Windows of History", located in Souderton, Pa.
Statement
my paintings are densely patterned, focused on color, filled with yearning. i am captivated by the earth’s linear quality, the moment of place where sky touches earth and what happens in those remaining spaces that eventually arrive at our feet. i chisel away at the natural world, patching together bits and pieces, composing and rebuilding the landscape.
repeated fragments, dissected skies, slabs of earth.
separating the land with paint, my intent is to look beyond and through.
capturing moments, glimpses of creation, landscapes, the order of atmosphere and the outside world. its central formations and ecosystems, fields stumbled upon or driven by- caught in a moment’s glance; newly trampled ground on previously unchartered territory. giving the viewer recollection- a sense of having been there.
this reminiscence also gravitates towards objects that inhabit a past; subjects of childhood, personal, or domestic history. wound within these themes exist questions of identity, ethnicity and ancestry. i attempt to capture their wistfulness, the nostalgic quality that they hold so dear. painting them becomes a celebration of their existence, a commemoration of remembrance.
my work is about the recognition of the subtleties of life and environment. these are the moments and pieces i attempt to capture and recreate: accumulation and repetition, intricacies found in the structure of organic objects, the concept of time and space through light and layers.
© 2024. all rights reserved. kimberly stemler
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