Kathy Shimer's Art Cottage

��Kathy Shimer's	Kinder'd Spirits Associations [email protected]

Little Arborial Art Cottage

A Little History of the Artist: Kat Shimer

"I've always had an interest in art and, growing up, spent most of my spare time drawing and painting.

I took four years of art classes in high school and planned to go on to college for further studies, but I married at a young age and my art took a back seat to being a parent.

I began working again seriously on my art about four years ago and studying under a wonderful, reknowned wildlife artist and friend, Jeff Gandert He's passed on many �tricks of the trade� and helped me to see what I can be and I am grateful for the time that he has shared with me.

My first exhibit was at the Cincinnati Nature Center in a showing �For The Birds� which was shared with many wonderful artists.

I had another showing, with 20 paintings, of my own works, again at the Cincinnati Nature Center in November of 2000.

I've done a couple of commissioned works, one of which was exhibited at that show, entitled �Nanette�.

In Hamilton, Ohio, I exhibited with many other local artists, which was a lot of fun.

Currently, I am working with a very talented female author and illustrator, indi blackwood, collaborating on her children�s book; "Dusty Goes South", creating the backgrounds to her pen and ink characters.

I'm also working on another commissioned piece, a portrait, and hope to work more in this area in the future.

In my work, I try to capture the color, contrasts and textures of what I see. I've always had a great love of nature and wildlife, walking in the woods and fields of my birthplace with camera in hand.

Wanderings by the sea, and other areas I travel, make me want to put on canvas the feelings for the things that mean the most to me.

I work mostly in acrylics, but also with oils and watercolor from time to time.

I try to realistically show the beauty of God�s creations, and I hope that you gain as much pleasure from viewing my works as I have had in creating them."

Kat Shimer

wild things from the wild woods

A Word from One of Kat's Many Friends: Me

"I deeply enjoy my friend kat's art, her fluid watercolors, her realistic wildlife paintings, nature stills, natural art, her trumpeting swans, and all of her charming animals.

I knew the first time I saw her work that she would be an ideal artist to conjure the most ethereal and yet surreal backgrounds to my childrens stories, and couldn't wait to broach the topic with her.

After reading the text of "Dusty Goes South", and seeing the characters, happily, she readily agreed to work with me on this important project!

Her photography and artistic renderings of flora, chipmunks, and everything beautiful just caught my imagination right up. How perfectly this gifted Ohio artist's unique style would compliment my simple little characters, and offset them so delightfully to the eye.

Wild things, Bald eagles, lionesses, pelicans....her scenery, sunsets, waterfalls, all injected with the gentle, colorful spirit of her own life.

May these brilliant and muted acrylics and watercolors, oils rich with the studied blendings of this true artist, reach into your heart and wring it as happily as they have mine.

I feel certain that Kat Shimer could become an icon in the childrens literature industry.

Excellent illustrators and artists like Kathy don't just happen along.

They work hard to get there, and Kat has the talent, drive, energy and ability to rival any of the worlds best already.

Kids will fall in love with the colorful, graceful backgrounds of Kathy Shimer of Goshen, OH."

indi blackwood

green things from the green forests