Artist: Kim Matthews Wheaton

Artist: Kim Matthews Wheaton

Kim Matthews Wheaton, born in 1950 in New York City, is an American painter whose work is shaped by the landscapes of Washington State. She grew up in San Francisco, where she began painting in high school, and later earned her BFA from the University of California, Berkeley.

In 1997, she moved with her family to Eastern Washington, where she spent twenty years painting the region’s expansive horizons, patterned fields, and dramatic skies. This landscape became central to her work, with a focus on the geometry of the land and the movement of light and shadow.

After relocating to the west side of the Cascades, Wheaton found new inspiration in the sky and water: cloud formations, reflections, and shifting atmosphere. Her work has evolved from direct observation to a more simplified, intuitive approach, emphasizing shape, color, and their interaction. Though often inspired by photographs, her paintings develop freely on the canvas as she continues to explore and refine her response to the landscape.