Many contemporary painters are working with an expansive vocabulary of paint, or a distinctly contemporary language, using (and pushing) the properties of the paint, and its application, in varied and unexpected ways. 

Their paintings can really surprise us, offering us rich tactile experiences, a vivid sense of the artist’s hand as well as fascinating optical effects. 

See lots of examples from artists working today – many of them Canadian! – focusing in on their painterly vocabulary and unique ways of working with paint. 

Kim-Lee Kho teaches regularly at Neilson Park Creative Centre. She’s an actively exhibiting multidisciplinary Canadian artist and recovering graphic designer/art director. As a teacher, speaker and consultant, she leads people on adventures in art. 

This presentation relates closely to her own approach to painting and she has taught numerous popular courses and workshops on related topics. 

Her upcoming weekend workshop at Neilson Park, Contemporary Painting: Transparent Glazes in Acrylics, will focus on creating the gorgeous depth, lustre and complexity of layered transparent glazes. It will look at mediums: suitability and how to choose, mixing and dilution, applying and layering, the very different nature of transparent colour and how to combine it with other approaches. 

Experienced glaze painters can also benefit from working on their own projects in consultation with Kim.

For more information: click here

At 2:00pm this Saturday, (May 20), at Otto Art, for my current exhibition 'RADIANTS', I will be painting LIVE in the gallery!

If you're in Toronto for the long weekend come and see the process I developed for my 'Arounded' series, the lush and tactile ways I work with the paint, the tools I use, and how there's a point beyond which I just have to sit back and watch the painting reveal itself (literally!) over the course of days.

I'll show you one of my favourite unconventional painting tools and some of the ways I use it. And of course I will answer questions about that or any of the paintings in the show.

More information in the flyer here. I've included a map in the page about the show (click here).

Please join me for an afternoon that's sure to be interesting!

If you would like to download a pdf of the flyer for the event, here it is:

My new solo show is now open, through May 25, 2017 at Otto Art in The Junction neighbourhood of Toronto.

Opening reception: Thursday, May 11, 7–9pm
Artist talk: Saturday, May 13, at 2pm

The exhibition features new and recent paintings featuring circles, radials and often radiant colour as well. The signature piece (not shown) in the window of the gallery is 36" x 36" and I am so pleased I managed to finish it despite getting way behind schedule due to a bout of bronchitis from which I'm still recovering.

Looking forward to showing you my paintings in this great little gallery in one of the burgeoning neighbourhoods of Toronto, (so full of interesting contemporary galleries that my last Gallery Walk & Talk visited there).

​Hope to see you there!

ONE DAY GALLERY WALK
It's baaaack!!
My Almost-Famous Gallery Walk & Talk!
Sat March 25, 2017
11:00am – 4:00pm
$50 (just for the tour, all food, drink and TTC/parking costs you pay directly as needed).

Many people have asked about/clamoured for the return of my Gallery Walk & Talk, so here it is! 

In these tours, aside from selecting the galleries and exhibitions we visit on the basis of what artists and venues are interesting and worth a visit, I also act as a resource and guide to the work, offering background, insight and a "way in" to the contemporary art which these Walk & Talks focus on.

As usual, I will pick a gallery area in Toronto for us to explore, we'll meet at a coffee shop where you'll receive a copy of the itinerary, we'll have a cup of tea or coffee and chat about what's planned for the day. Then we'll head off to our first gallery.
We'll likely visit a couple before lunch, have lunch at a moderately-priced restaurant or café in the area then continue on to more galleries, probably with a short coffee break in the middle.

These have proved very popular in the past, with many people returning again and again. Good, thoughtful and congenial company and conversation, makes for a very interesting and stimulating day.

Can't guarantee accessible access to all venues I'm afraid. Group size will be limited (to the benefit of everyone I think). Payment in advance, no refunds.
If you're interested, please contact me directly.

ONE-DAY WORKSHOP
Back by popular demand (the Fall workshop had a long waiting list)!
​The Art & Science of Image Transfers for Mixed Media
Weds March 29, 2017
9:30am – 3:00pm
​Markham Group of Artists (link)
In the latest version of this always-evolving workshop, we’ll discuss what makes a good image for transferring; zero in on transfer techniques and materials that produce interesting and versatile results; look at some creative strategies for integrating the transfers into mixed media artworks. $30 Materials fee and list. Contact me if you'd like an easier-to-read (much less overwhelming!) materials list than the one on the website. (Btw, ignore the "soft gel" listed, just bring polymer medium.)
​
JURYING
Oshawa Art Association's 50th Anniversary Juried Exhibition (for members)
Sat April 1, 2017
​Oshawa Art Association (link)
It will be an honour to act as co-juror (one of three) for the association's 50th anniversary show.

NINE-WEEK COURSES
Drawing the Tough Bits 
(Face & Head & Hands & Feet)
Apr. 5 – May 31, 2017 (9 weeks)
9:30am – 12:30pm
Neilson Park Creative Centre (link)
Registration opens March 6 for members, March 8 for non-members.
Are you relieved when you can avoid the face, head, hands and feet of the people in your drawings and paintings? It's time to put an end to that fear! In this supportive environment, you'll be given the tools and knowledge to understand and work with the structures that give the face, head, hands and feet their defining characteristics. You'll learn to see them more clearly and get lots of practice drawing them, working from a live model. Small materials fee and list.
 
It's back! Figurative Art: Drawn and Beyond
Apr. 5 – May 31, 2017 (9 weeks)
1:00pm – 4:00pm
Neilson Park Creative Centre (link)
Registration opens March 6 for members, March 8 for non-members.
Not a classical life drawing class! Work with a life model as a doorway to exploring artistic thinking and approaches, expression and ways of seeing. Learn how to get more out of your tools and materials and try some you haven’t used before, or in ways you haven’t tried. Each term is different, each week looks to stretch your creative muscles, build your skills and abilities, help you see in new ways. One week leads into the next with an occasional sharp turn. Drawing-based but includes some other and mixed media. $10 materials fee payable to the instructor. Check NPCC website for materials list.

WEEKEND WORKSHOP
Shake It Up! Contemporary Approaches to Abstract Painting
Saturday/Sunday Apr. 29/30, 2017
9:30am – 4:00pm
Neilson Park Creative Centre (link)
Registration opens March 6 for members, March 8 for non-members.
Get a creative workout with Kim-Lee Kho to refresh and shake up the starting points and sources for your artwork and ideas. See what contemporary abstract artists are doing, how they mix things up and how the vocabulary of paint has changed. Stretch your art-making muscles by trying fun and adventurous processes – Kim will be there every step of the way! $35 materials fee payable to the instructor covers a host of specialized and unconventional tools and materials you will need. Check NPCC website for materials list.

LECTURE-PRESENTATION
A Contemporary Language of Paint
Weds May 10, 2017, 7:00pm
​Oshawa Art Association (link)
Much of contemporary painting is very interested in and pushes the vocabulary of paint, using and modifying its properties in diverse and unexpected ways to create paintings that surprise, wonderful optical effects and rich tactile experiences.

Anyone who is painting in a way that is not about replicating the camera or following a specific tradition, needs to grapple with the material of the paint itself. Most artists do so in a pretty limited way if at all, so I will show a range of contemporary work (including my own) that really makes painterly vocabulary and properties a central focus of the work. I will follow up the presentation with a concise demo to show a few ways of working with acrylic paint and modifying its behaviour to achieve some different effects. 

WEEK-LONG INTENSIVE
In downtown Toronto (OCADU campus)!
Mixed Media with Photos & Image Transfers
Monday June 12 – Friday June 16, 2017
9:00am to 4:30pm
Haliburton School of Art + Design (link)
Re-energize your painting and mixed media, and give it a more contemporary flavour by exploring methods of integrating photography and image transfers.

Working directly with photographs, learn various image transfer methods – what they're good for, when to use which, and how to work with them creatively.

In a combination of structured exercises and personal exploration, you'll layer, distress, work into, and interfere with your mixed media and images to better integrate and reveal contrasting visual material. Work with and against the rectangle, enriching your work with meaning and association. Materials fee and list. Suited to most levels, including advanced, but some previous art-making experience is required.

WEEK-LONG INTENSIVE
One of my most popular courses
Acrylics – Explore, Express, Experiment
​Mon July 24 – Friday July 28, 2017
9:00am to 4:30pm
​Haliburton School of Art + Design (link)
The most versatile of all paint media, acrylics can do almost anything you want.

Through the magic of acrylic mediums you can change the appearance, behaviour and characteristics of acrylics in surprising ways, from pourable glazes to texturized and transparent impasto, layered encaustic-like effects to sculpted surfaces.

In this intensive, materials and process-based course, a variety of acrylic mediums, physical processes and techniques will be explored. These may include drip, scrape, scratch, scumble, tickle, pour, squeeze, sculpt, roll, collage, layer, making skins and embedding objects. You will also investigate tools - how to select, use and customize them, with particular emphasis on unconventional choices. Materials fee and list. 
All levels and abilities are welcome (including advanced or pro), the only prerequisite is an open mind and an adventurous spirit.

​LECTURE-PRESENTATION
New & improved!
THIS ISN'T PHOTOGRAPHY:
The expanding (and sometimes surprising!) use of photos by contemporary artists
​Weds July 26, 5:00pm (I think!)
​Haliburton School of Art + Design (link)

Using photographic material and playing with how to use it, is a deeply contemporary way to work with imagery and perception and the way we experience the world now.

Starting with photography’s development, what we tend to believe about it, what it made possible, we will move into the uses of photography by contemporary artists, including in visual artworks that are not “photography”. 

While not well-understood, photography’s role is rich, lively and and incredibly diverse part of contemporary art in sometimes surprising – even hidden – ways. 

As a multidisciplinary artist, presenter Kim-Lee Kho works in various photo-based mixed media forms herself including prints, video, sculpture and textile. Kim also teaches photo-based mixed media for HSA+D and elsewhere – exploring the various technical challenges as well as the vast creative possibilities.

WEEK-LONG INTENSIVE
Brand-new!
Acrylic Glazing & Encaustic Effects
​Mon July 31 – Friday August 4, 2017
9:00am to 4:30pm
​Haliburton School of Art + Design (link)
From the Old Masters to cutting-edge contemporary artists, the use of transparent paint glazes is a tradition that has come a long way. In this process and materials-based course you will learn the language of transparent colour in acrylics, how to mix and work with glazes, which mediums to use when, and the importance of dilution, sheen and thickness.

Glazing will be complemented with the rich surfaces and translucent depth of encaustic effects in acrylics. In structured exercises and your own creative explorations you will work with layering, blending, painterly marks, impasto surfaces and combine acrylics with other media to create depth and invite light into your paintings. Materials fee and list.
​
Very suitable for students who have taken acrylics courses and workshops with me in the past, particularly involving the use of mediums. In this course we can focus more and get more in-depth with glazing and encaustic effects in particular, and explore the creative potentials of them.

SOLO EXHIBITION
Heart of a Wanderer
Mon Sept 11 – 24, 2017
Reception: Thurs Sept 14, 7:00–9:00pm
Otto Art (in The Junction area of Toronto)
Very excited to be presenting a whole new kind of work at this charming gallery in one of Toronto's most creative neighbourhoods! Heart of a Wanderer will combine drawing and text, narrative and heart-based work, originals and (affordable!) multiples. Stay tuned for sneak peeks in my blog and on social media in the coming months!

ONE-DAY WORKSHOP
Acrylic Painting: Thick & Thin
Sat or Sun, October 14 or 15, 2017
Quest Art School + Gallery (link), Midland ON
With the remarkable range and versatility of acrylic paints, you can enrich the visual and tactile qualities of your paintings by pushing out from the flatness of your canvas or panel and making delicious relief surfaces or working thinly and transparently. Best of all, you can combine the effects to create the richest results! 

In this workshop we will discuss ways to thin and thicken the paint, (trying out some of the most useful and reliable), technical considerations, and look at some of the creative possibilities as well, through a combination of recent and contemporary art history, show & tell, demonstration, hands-on exercises and “playtime” (aka open exploration).

Instructor Kim-Lee Kho will provide some materials so you can fully enjoy the content of this workshop and benefit from it. A basic materials fee of $10 will cover that. The necessary acrylic mediums will also be available at a cost of $3 per 4oz for acrylic polymer gloss; $5 per 4oz for gloss gel (prices subject to change depending on supplier costs of course). We will work with both. Please read through the materials list to make sure you are fully equipped!

Markham Group of Artists
LECTURE PRESENTATION ​
Wednesday, September 7, 10:30– 12:00 
​Markham Village Public Library

THIS ISN'T PHOTOGRAPHY
This presentation will cover the expanding and diverse use of photos by “non-photographer” contemporary artists,  plus some of Kim's recent work.

The use and integration of photography into contemporary visual artworks that are not “photography” is not well-understood, but it is a rich, lively and incredibly diverse part of contemporary art in sometimes surprising – even hidden – ways. Using photographic material and playing with how to use it, is a deeply contemporary way to work with imagery and perception and the way we experience the world now.
​
As a multidisciplinary artist, presenter Kim-Lee Kho works in various photo-based mixed media forms herself including prints, video, sculpture and textile; she also teaches the subject. 

WORKSHOPS

​NEW DATE ADDED!
Wednesday, March 29, 2017, 10am to 3pm

Weds Sept 28, 10am to 3pm (CLASS IS FULL)

The Art & Science of Image Transfers
for Mixed Media
Click here to register
Combining photography with traditional media is an exciting and contemporary way to work. Image transfers in particular are a hot topic right now and there are many techniques, each with their pros and cons.

In this workshop Kim Lee Kho will guide you step by step through some of her favourite processes and non-toxic transfer methods including: alcohol transfers with specialized transparencies; acrylic skins; methods of integrating transfers with other media; and what makes a good image for transferring. 

To inspire and encourage your personal creative exploration, you will see physical samples of Kim’s own work plus examples from other contemporary artists who are working in photo-based mixed media. 

Students will work with images supplied by the instructor as well as some of their own and are asked to email 2-3 digital photos to Kim ahead of time in preparation for the class (see materials list for what to do if this is not possible).

No photography or digital work will be done during class; students can do as much or as little of that as they like in advance to prepare materials to work with in-class.

Instructor will cover the cost of a basic set of prints onto specialized transfer material, and some additional supplies. Enrollment fee includes $25  for additional supplies.

Neilson Park Creative Centre
Etobicoke

​WEEKLY CLASSES
Click here to register

Drawing Hands & Feet with Kim-Lee Kho
F16AFEET
Wednesdays 9:30am -12:30pm
October 5 – October 26, 2016
4 weeks
Are you relieved when you can avoid the hands and feet of the people in your drawings and paintings? Is that where your work gets smudgy and vague, or do you position them so they are cut off by the edges of your paper or canvas? 
It's time to put an end to the fear of sausage fingers and lumpy feet! 
In the supportive environment of this workshop, you'll be given the tools and knowledge to understand and work with the structures that give hands and feet their defining characteristics. You'll learn to see them more clearly and get lots of practice drawing them, working from a live model. 
$10 Materials fee payable to the instructor.
​ 
Drawing the Face & Head with Kim-Lee Kho
F16AFACE
Wednesdays 9:30am -12:30pm
November 16 – December 7, 2016
4 weeks
Learn how to analyze and understand the structures and proportions of the head and face before focusing on the features in order to achieve well-constructed and balanced drawings and increase apparent likeness. Through visual presentation and demonstration Kim Lee Kho will lead you through exercises using photographs and a live, professional model. Gain the confidence that comes from having a better understanding of the structural nature of the head and a process for building on it. A variety of pose lengths for different kinds of drawing; an open pose will be incorporated at the end of each day whenever possible.
$10 Materials fee payable to the instructor

Figurative Art: Drawn and Beyond 
​with Kim-Lee Kho
F16AFIG   THIS CLASS IS FULL   
Wednesdays 1:00pm – 4:00pm
October 5 - December 7, 2016 (no class Nov 2 & 9)
8 weeks
$15 Materials fee payable to the instructor
Not a classical life drawing class! Work with a life model as a doorway to exploring artistic thinking and approaches, expression and ways of seeing. Learn how to get more out of your tools and materials and try some you haven’t used before, or in ways you haven’t tried. Each term is different, each week looks to stretch your creative muscles, build your skills and abilities, help you see in new ways. One week leads into the next with an occasional sharp turn. Drawing-based but includes some other and mixed media.

WORKSHOPS
Click here to register
​
The Art & Science of Image Transfers for Mixed Media with Kim-Lee Kho
F16AIMA - THIS CLASS IS FULL
Sunday, September 25
9:30am – 4:00pm
1 day workshop 

F16AIMA2  - NEW SESSION ADDED!
NEW DATE: 
Sunday, November 13, 2016
9:30am – 4:00pm
1 day workshop

Combining photography with traditional media is an exciting and contemporary way to work. Image transfers in particular are a hot topic right now and there are many techniques, each with their pros and cons.

In this workshop Kim Lee Kho will guide you step by step through some of her favourite processes and non-toxic transfer methods including: alcohol transfers with specialized transparencies; acrylic skins; methods of integrating transfers with other media; and what makes a good image for transferring. 

To inspire and encourage your personal creative exploration, you will see physical samples of Kim’s own work plus examples from other contemporary artists who are working in photo-based mixed media. 

Students will work with images supplied by the instructor as well as some of their own and are asked to email 2-3 digital photos to Kim ahead of time in preparation for the class (see materials list for what to do if this is not possible).

No photography or digital work will be done during class; students can do as much or as little of that as they like in advance to prepare materials to work with in-class.

Neilson Park Creative Centre
Etobicoke (continued)
MORE WORKSHOPS
Click here to register

Drawing the Face & Head one-day workshop with Kim-Lee Kho
F16AHEAD
Sunday, October 16, 2016
9:30am – 4:00pm
1 day workshop 

For new and returning students. Learn how (or practice your ability) to analyze and understand the structures and proportions of the head and face before focusing on the features in order to achieve well-constructed and balanced drawings and increase apparent likeness. Through visual presentation and demonstration Kim Lee Kho will lead you through exercises using photographs and a live, professional model. Gain the confidence that comes from having a better understanding of the structural nature of the head and a process for building on it. A variety of pose lengths for different kinds of drawing; an open pose will be incorporated at the end of each day whenever possible.

SPEAKER SERIES
Friday, October 14, 2016
Presenter: Kim-Lee Kho
7:00pm

THIS ISN'T PHOTOGRAPHY:
The expanding and diverse use of photos by “non-photographer” contemporary artists
The use and integration of photography in contemporary visual artworks that are not “photography” is not well-understood, but it is a rich, lively and incredibly diverse part of contemporary art in sometimes surprising – even hidden – ways. Using photographic material and playing with how to use it, is a deeply contemporary way to work with imagery and perception and the way we experience the world now.

As a multidisciplinary artist, presenter Kim-Lee Kho works in various photo-based mixed media forms herself including prints, video, sculpture and textile; she also teaches the subject. 

Photo-based art is as full of creative and technical challenges as more traditional media like painting and drawing; there are also as many approaches to it as there are artists!

Quest Art School
Midland, ON
Click here to register

The Magic of Image Transfers in Mixed Media with Kim-Lee Kho & Mixed Media Mapping into photographs with Kal Honey  
Saturday & Sunday November 5/6, 10 am – 4 pm
All levels welcome

This two-day workshop will be a whirlwind of learning about the creative possibilities for integrating different medias with photography!  Students will work a different instructor each day.

Kim-Lee Kho will guide you step by step through some of her favourite image transfer processes including: approaches to layering and altering photos and mixed media; alcohol transfers with specialized transparencies; acrylic skins; and medium transfers. To inspire and encourage your personal creative exploration, you will see examples from a variety of contemporary artists who are working in photo-based mixed media.

Students will work with images supplied by the instructor as well as some of their own and are asked to email 2-3 digital photos to Kim ahead of time in preparation for the class.

Materials fee of $15 payable to Kim will cover the cost of a basic set of prints, (some onto specialized transfer material) and some additional supplies.

Markham (not MGA)
WEEKEND WORKSHOP
Contact me if you're interested, and
I'll put you in touch with the organizers
Saturday & Sunday, November 26/27
9:30am – 4:00pm

Shake It Up! Contemporary Approaches to Abstract Painting
Spend two days with Kim-Lee Kho as she leads you to examine, refresh and shake up the starting points and sources for your artwork and ideas. You’ll see what contemporary artists are doing, how they mix things up and how the vocabulary of paint has changed. You’ll get a creative workout, trying some fun and surprising processes to stretch your art-making muscles, while considering the importance of range, contrasts and of bold editing… after bold painting.

Along the way we’ll have discussions, address various design and other issues and end the weekend both tired and inspired!

$35 Materials fee payable to the instructor

Oshawa Art Association
LECTURE PRESENTATION ​
Wednesday, May 10, 2017; 7:00–9:00pm
​Art Resource Centre, 45 Queen St, Oshawa

THE LANGUAGE OF PAINT
It is a big trend in contemporary painting to have a wide vocabulary of paint, utilizing its properties in diverse and unexpected ways to create paintings that surprise, create wonderful optical effects and rich tactile experiences through our eyes.

Anyone who is painting in a way that is not about replicating the camera or following a specific tradition, needs to grapple with the material of the paint itself. Most artists do so in a pretty limited way if at all, so my presentation will show contemporary work (including my own) that really makes painterly vocabulary and properties a central focus of the work.

In the demonstration portion I will show a few ways of working with acrylic paint and modifying it so that it can do amazing things. This is a way I personally approach painting and have taught numerous popular courses and workshops on the topic.

Yes, they invited me back! "They" being Ry Howitt, producer of Night Time, the talk show I was on this spring. You can catch my segment if you have Rogers Cable and live in the Peel Region of Ontario; Rogers Cable 10 this Friday at 11pm.

This week I talk about my social media portraiture project #dailyheroes, something I intend to write about on my blog as well, in time for the airing of that show, so stay tuned!

I only wish I could watch it myself, but we have no Rogers Cable TV at our house.

​