KIM-LEE KHO
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Burnt Offerings: A Special Invitation to Support My Work By Becoming a Sponsor

4/24/2022

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Burning Heart 1 and 2, 16" x 12, photo-digital prints on aluminum, 2022.

SOLO SHOW at The Red Head Gallery
'Burnt Offerings', May 4–21, 2022

Burnt Offerings
 will be my latest exhibition at The Red Head Gallery, inspired by the loss of my father last year, and reflecting on the many things we all lost during these pandemic times. Very photo-based and yet full of other media and varied formats including sculpture, textile, printmaking, and pyrographic drawings, Burnt Offerings is an official part of this year's annual Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival. 

In-person reception will be Saturday, May 7, 1–3pm, (the show will be open noon to 5pm that day still). Other special events will be announced via my website, social media and in my next newsletter. Make sure to follow me on Instagram for any last minute updates!

A special invitation to support my work
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Through the Fire, 16" x 48", photo-digital print on aluminum, from Burnt Offerings, 2022.
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​In 2019 I was able to mount the best show of my career, Heartspace, (my first at The Red Head Gallery), thanks to the many people (the many of you) who answered my request for support by sponsoring the show. I was so moved, and will always be grateful, for the support you showed me and that work, both financially and the moral support that sponsors provide just by participating in that way.

In the same spirit, I am inviting you to participate in this show, and its important body of work, at whatever level feels right to you. So that I can thank you as meaningfully as I can, I have put a lot of thought into the contribution levels and gifts. 

I will thank all sponsors – at any level – on signage at the exhibition as well as on my website. All levels listed below also include gifts of some kind (see below). Please let me know if you prefer to remain anonymous.

How to sponsor? It’s so easy! Just send me an e-transfer using kimandkal@me.com (which is set to auto deposit) or use my PayPal link – in either case please also add "sponsor" in the notes or comment area.

Suggested Levels:
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💲10+ My sincere thanks🙏 plus a participatory gift: email me 1–5 words naming or describing who or what you've lost that you would like me to honour or remember in a burnt paper offering 🔥 I will prepare it, including it in a group burning after the exhibition, with a video of the event shared on my website and/or YouTube channel

💲40+ All of the above plus I will email you an mp3 audio file of me expressing my thanks and reading from one or two of my written pieces related to Burnt Offerings 📖👂

💲100+ All of the above plus I will mail you a unique special edition 8" x 10" art print cropped from a larger image, and signed on the back 🖼

💲250+ An exclusive opportunity to apply your sponsorship contribution against the purchase price of an artwork (and still receive the other rewards!) on a first-come, first-served basis. The remaining balance (if any) would be paid by you, if you choose an artwork of lower value the balance would be your generous sponsorship contribution (received with my thanks!) 🎁 

​An online catalogue will be available soon. I will link it here once it's up.


Sponsor thank you gift fulfillment will begin after the exhibition has closed, except for those specified to begin before or during the exhibition's run.

Thank you for your support!
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My Solo Show at Red Head Gallery Is Coming Soon!

4/24/2022

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I am burning the midnight oil getting my solo show ready to install next weekend. It will open on Wednesday May 4 and run through Saturday May 21, 2022, at The Red Head Gallery in downtown Toronto.

The title Burnt Offerings alludes to the ancient ritual of burning things whether as offering or sacrifice, as purification or as prayer.
​ 

The concept for the show grew out of experiencing the loss of my father last year, grieving him and contemplating what we feel, and do to mourn, what we lose when we lose a loved one, how loss is the flip side of love, and how it ties into the larger cycles of life and death. Fire and ash are part of that cycle.

This show is both deeply personal and widely relatable, and I hope I am making it more poetic than heavy, so that it will touch you and cause you to reflect and also surprise you in various ways.

For the first time I will be documenting my show in a virtual 3-D format that will allow people unable to visit in person to have a more visit-like experience online. More on that later.

For the second time I am putting out a call for support, for people who love what I do or how I do it and are in a position to provide financial sponsorship, starting at only $10! I will create a separate post about that and link it here when it's ready.

Regardless of that, and in whatever way, I hope you will pay the show a visit, and send me your comments and questions too.

Please wish me luck as I work through the home stretch, when it becomes a matter of stamina really. 

​I can't wait to share this new work with you!

Burnt Offerings is part of the 2022 Scotiabank Contact Photography Festival.
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I'm a Juror in the 'Why Do You Create' Juried Art Exhibition!

11/15/2021

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Here's an opportunity for the artists and art students reading this: an upcoming juried show at Visual Arts Mississauga (in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada).

Some weeks ago Annis Karpenko, the excellent Executive Director there, approached me about co-jurying with her, which sounded like more fun than a jurying gig would normally be (she and I enjoy each other's company!) though I actually really like to jury at least once a year.

It's a stimulating and interesting challenge, to look at a large collection of submitted work, get a sense of them as a whole and then go through and select what seems to be the best representation, within the constraints specified by the organizing group.

It can be hard to get this just right, because the number of pieces permitted don't always coincide with the number I would like to accept, and in a number of other ways the decision making is complex. But that is precisely why it's interesting.

Some broad categories of issues are considered: medium, materials, subject, concept, design/composition, artistic thinking or point of view, technical proficiency, creativity.

It is crucial to remember that in art, our ideas and imagination, our inventiveness, give our technical accomplishments meaning and purpose.

I look forward to seeing the work submitted, maybe I will even see something of yours!

If you would like more information, please visit the "Why Do You Create?" page on the Visual Arts Mississauga website.
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Give yourself butterflies in your stomach

11/6/2021

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Singing lessons have taken me somewhere new! Photo: ©Kim-Lee Kho 2021
So back in March, when my life felt like a five-alarm fire, I decided to take singing lessons.

It may sound counter-intuitive, but I needed a way to carve out some time for myself when I wouldn't (wouldn't even be able to) think about all the awful things that were going on.


​This was the period leading up to my father's death, and other equally serious things besides. So I was finally desperate enough to try anything, including something that, if I'm honest, I've wanted to do (thought I should do) for decades.

The reason I am so very, very glad I decided to learn this year is well, more than one reason, but including: the inherent joy of singing, including just playing with your voice in vocal exercises; being a beginner again, which has its own joys including the constant state of discovery; and how totally it absorbs my attention, whether in class or during practice sessions.

Singing gets harder as you learn more about how to do it, because as with any skill-based activity or art you start to realize how little you knew! And that is a gift.

Do something good for yourself:

​Start something that gives you butterflies in your stomach when you think about it.

For anyone who's interested, my teacher's name is Heather Christine, and she can be found via her website (she doesn't even know I'm writing this, I'll tell her later!).
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Podcast Interview: Not Just a Couple of Artists...

10/29/2021

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...But also an artist couple!
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Kal Honey (my creative and life partner of many years) and I were interviewed for episode 9 of Art Conversations with Lisa Jayne Irvine.

Lisa was keen to know about our experiences as an artist couple, from how we met, to our collaborations as designers, to how we navigate being on the same career path as artists and art instructors.

It was so much fun to do (Kal and I love talking and working together), and Lisa (who is a fellow artist and a friend) is such a relaxed host.

​Please have a listen, and let us know what you think. The feedback we've had so far has been amazing, so there's a good chance you'll really enjoy it!

 The episode is available now, on Apple podcasts, Spotify and other podcast platforms. 
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Back in the Studio, Making New Work

8/31/2021

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Chiaroscuro photograph of a fair-skinned woman lit from below,. She's wearing a loose, draping head scarf or cowl, has long dark hair. The image is distressed and almost black and white. © Kim-Lee Kho 2021
A draft image from my new 'Sackcloth and Ashes' series.
It is such a relief to finally be back in my studio making new work – and back on my blog too!

If you are a subscriber to my email Updates, you will know I've had a very difficult year, including the loss of my father, so in 2021 I scaled way back on my teaching as well as my studio work.

Going through all the emotions and challenges of the year made me need my studio even more though, just when I couldn't do it, so now there is a lot of pent-up work to get out!

In the image above I was playing around with a photo from my brand-new Sackcloth and Ashes series of self-portraits, playing with the Victorian Gothic or film noir feeling.

Artists need to be making and doing art things to be in balance (this one certainly does!), but life does not always cooperate. When that's the case it's important to even just jot down ideas in a notebook, in words or scribbles, and get back to even tiny doses as soon as you can. Don't discount ten minutes of art – it makes a difference!

​Please let me know your thoughts, or just say hi, in the comments below :-)
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My New Colour Diary

10/12/2020

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Day 05
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Day 10
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Day 07
Back in 2010 I gave my second ever presentation as an artist-speaker, called Daily Practices for Artists, looking at the tremendous value they have for our creativity and our “real” work, the forms they can take, how to figure out one that is both appealing and suits your circumstances.

So recently I decided to take my own advice (haha)... again.

I revived an old, not-quite-daily practice from 2009, my Colour Diary. Over the course of ~100 installments, I mixed and painted maybe 1,000 or more colours, into stripes of various widths. 

The original project evolved over time, and ultimately changed me. I never looked at colour the same way again. I was never as limited in my colour thinking (or colour experience) as I was before the Colour Diary.

Each page was improvised. I would begin with a starting point – one day it was the colour of the peanut butter I’d looked at over breakfast – and then respond. 

They also became composed paintings in that I would not work left to right, I would decide on a position and width (they were always vertical stripes on a horizontal piece of water-colour paper, of identical size each time), and both respond to the colours already mixed and applied and to the relative sizes and positions.

Occasionally I would play specific formal colour games, whether out of curiosity or because I didn’t feel inventive enough that day.​

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Day 21
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Part of the collection
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Day 27
Coming back to the New Colour Diary (or Covid Colour Diary), it was an appealing idea to return to it, to play almost entirely with colour again.

Life has been very demanding, between the pandemic situation, the resulting overhaul of our (my husband’s and my) business(es), family medical crises, personal health issues and on and on.

All of that has made time for studio practice difficult and irregular, but it is essential to my well-being, never mind my professional practice! A bite-sized daily practice is exactly what circumstances demanded.

My first change to the original project was to make it digital, so it would be a manageable time commitment for me. Then as soon as I thought that, I knew I wanted to give it a dedicated Instagram account, to share it with the world, or at least that tiny part of the world that either knows or stumbles across me.

So that is where you will find me, posting these little colour meditations, every day whenever possible. My first goal is 100 days, as in #100daysofcolour, and then we’ll see after that.

You can visit it here (even without an Instagram account): 
​https://www.instagram.com/kims.colour.diary/

​Just click on an image to see it larger.

If you have any trouble viewing it there, I have a Flickr album as well, though I do not update it daily:
https://flic.kr/s/aHsmR7BVqf

I hope you will check it out, and that you’ll enjoy it!
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My Online Studio Visit with Arts Etobicoke in August

9/14/2020

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This summer Arts Etobicoke was kind enough to ask me to hold an online studio visit with them via Instagram Live.

After months of lockdown it felt like another way to connect up with people and community online, much like my Virtual Studio Parties, and Kal Honey's Virtual Collage Jams (which I co-host).

Studio visits are fun, in fact I love seeing the insides of other artists' studios, what kind of space they have, how they work in them, how they organize them and so on. Not to mention what they are working on in there!

So you'll get to see some of all of those things in my video, which is on Arts Etobicoke's Instagram account.

​Here is a direct link: www.instagram.com/p/CDeniKDpkrE/

It's almost exactly an hour long. In it you'll get a peek at some experiments, a longtime hobby of mine, the view out my windows, what my painting table looks like and plenty more. Plus I answer some questions from attendees.

While not yet up on their website or YouTube channel, I'm sure it will be sometime this fall, and I will update the link in this post once that happens.

​I hope you enjoy it! Please let me know in the comments if you would like to see more.

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Cheap & Cheerful Art Supplies: Stencils

9/5/2020

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Stencils among my favourite things to work with, whether for painting or printmaking, working flat, blended or atmospheric, or creating impasto effects.

Anybody who's taken one of my classes knows that I love – and encourage – making custom stencils, because they are personal and show the hand of the artist.

But that doesn't mean I don't love a good commercial stencil, because I do! If only my wallet were fatter, so would my collection of bought stencils be (maybe you can relate!).

Good commercial stencils have wonderful, sometimes intricate, designs, are sturdy, and can last indefinitely if cared for. They will also be translucent so you position the design exactly where you want it onto a prepared surface for example.

This blog post isn't about those high quality and at least somewhat expensive stencils though!

Instead I'd like to introduce you to the world of dollar store stencils.

Pictured above are collections I have purchased at Dollarama and at Dollar Tree. I didn't buy all of the sets available, but both places offered a few.  (Continued below.)
VIDEO: When I get new stencils, I make reference prints using black ink. I like to use my gel plate so I can pull positive and negative prints, but you can also use a sponge, stomp or stencil brush directly onto paper. Finally I like to try a few simple prints just to get acquainted with the stencils.
The Dollar Tree stencils come one per package, are cleanly and fully punched out, their shapes are good and classic, the plastic is smooth, flexible, transparent but thinner than I'd prefer. 

Dollarama's  come with four designs per package, which are nicely illustrated on the packaging so you can preview your selection, or to help put them back in the correct package after use. They are less well made than Dollar Tree's (I had to finish punching out a number of the shapes myself), but  plastic is thicker and somewhat stiffer, a different kind of plastic that feels more durable. They are also opaque, which makes them less easy to position precisely.

Both are roughly 6" x 6" in size, suitable for small gel plates for example, or used as accents in larger work.

Whatever the drawbacks, the price is hard to beat for someone on a very tight budget, or feeding a stencil habit they need to keep the costs down on! You may also just find the designs useful.

Dollar Tree's are $1 for a single stencil (but always with many variations on an image theme!).
Dollarama's are $1.25 for a 4-pack of various patterns.

If you don't find them at your local store, you may have to try another location. What's available at any given location can vary quite a lot in general I find.

Who doesn't love saving a little money on art or craft supplies? Let me know in the comments if you've tried any of these out. Also what's been your favourite cheap & cheerful art or craft supply?

Prices are in Canadian dollars.
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Virtual Studio Parties, Fall Term & the Coming Weeks

8/11/2020

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DATE CHANGE:
Virtual Studio Party will return two weeks later,
on Saturday, October 3 at 2pm.

My co-host Kal Honey and I are taking a break from some of our work responsibilities for several weeks, including the Virtual Studio Parties, free weekly creative events on my YouTube channel, that have seen us through the first few months of the pandemic.

It has become something that we, and numerous regular attendees, have come to treasure, for the creative time, the conversation, and for the community experience.

While we are on hiatus, there is a YouTube playlist of 24 videos available on my channel from past parties. They are there for you to enjoy whenever you feel the need for some creative time with friendly company, in the comfort of your home (or at this time of year, possibly your cottage).

Here is the link: https://bit.ly/31HtbOm

Meanwhile, in the coming weeks, you can expect more posts here in the blog, and updates in the Teaching+ menu above, in my Online Offerings.

I've got my Fall term planned out so I'm busy writing and making web pages for each of the courses I will be offering. Some of them are up already with everything but the materials lists, which I'll post in late August.

UPDATE: All of my Fall courses are up on the website now!
Click here to see what's available.

Finally, if you haven't made it to one of our Virtual Studio Parties yet, I hope you can make some space in your week to attend one live on a Saturday afternoon this Fall, or else by watching or listening to a replay. And if you know anyone else who might enjoy it, please share the link with them.

Creative time, creative community, a friendly artist making things – and it's free! What's not to love? I hope you'll join us!


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    Kim-Lee Kho

    As a visual artist I like nothing more than getting up to my elbows in paint or little plastic toys, or wading in at the deep end in pursuit of an idea. When I am not teaching others in a similar vein, you can find me researching, writing and noodling around in my studio, seeing where my latest lines of inquiry lead me.

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  • Home
  • Gallery
    • Burnt Offerings (2022) >
      • Sponsors: Thank you
    • My Father's Things (series)
    • Heartspace
    • A Full Heart
    • Subject to Limitation >
      • Boxed In
      • Expanding Media
      • Fences as Barriers
      • Containment
    • Skin
    • Face[t]s
    • [Un]Settled
    • Digital / Photo / Mixed
    • Painting
    • To See More
  • Shop
    • Interior Life series
    • Trees + Hidden Complexity
    • A Full Heart series
  • Courses & Events
    • Current + Upcoming
    • Virtual Studio Parties
    • Gallery Walk & Talks
    • Testimonials
  • Blog
    • News Archive
  • ABOUT
    • Biography
    • Statement
    • CV
    • Publications/Media
  • Contact