Summer!

Summer is on its way, and art galleries across New England are celebrating with both in the gallery and virtual exhibitions. My fine art silkscreens and cast sculpture, are included in a number of shows in NYC, Connecticut, Vermont and New Hampshire.

National Association of Women Artists of NYC is hosting an juried exhibition titled Home. This online exhibition is to celebrate a new chapter in NAWA history as they begin 2021 in a new home at the National Arts Club in Manhattan. It can be seen at www.artiosgallery.com/virtual-gallery from June 1 - July 1. Dog from my Home Series, was choosen to be apart of this exhibition. The idea behind this hand-made serigraph has to do with “what makes a home” from different animals perspectives.

GR Art Gallery of Stamford, Connecticut is hosting a invitational summer group exhibition. This lovely artist owned and run gallery’s last exhibition was my Solo Exhibition. For the summer, my serigraphs titled Dance Series - Salsa, Swing and Waltz, along with my cast sculpture Moon Rabbits can be seen live along with a fine assortment of artworks by all the gallery’s artists. More details about this exhibition can be obtained by signing up for my emailing list on the Contact page of this website. I will be sending out evites once the gallery sets dates.

Tilting at Windmills Gallery of Manchester, Vermont, carries the silkscreens featured in the following video, a large selection of my digital prints and even some of my cast sculpture. Since I am a gallery artist there, feel free to stop by throughout the summer season to see my work in person!

The New Leaf Gallery of Keene, New Hamphire, a brand new gallery featuring hand-made prints is hosting a juried open call for hand-made prints. My two prints, Inner Landscape and Horse Barn Hill, were my two entries. 
The New Leaf Gallery has posted the 36 prints for their online exhibit, "Calling on Special Places” at: https://thenewleafgallery.com/calling-on-special-places

A live exhibition will be held at their gallery at The New Leaf Gallery, 11 Roxbury Street, Keene, NH to coincide with Keene’s Art Walk, June 3 - June 30. The gallery exhibit will present a refined selection of around 20 prints that were either juried in by the gallery director and owner, or choosen by popular vote. I am proud to say Inner Landscape was selected to be apart of this exhibition!

Connecticut Academy of Fine Arts’ 110th Annual Juried Exhibition, will be a virtual show hosted on the CAFA website from June 26 – August 14, 2021. Midday, Rising and Sun from my Star Series are my three entries this year. While the exhibition is usually held at the Mystic Museum of Art, in Mystic, Connecticut, this year it will be presented on CAFA’s website and you can see my artist membership page at: https://www.ctacademy.org/artistgalleries/kathleen-zimmerman

2021 Begins With Exhibitions, a Book and a Video!

We are happy to announce that Kathleen Zimmerman’s serigraph, To Be or Not To Be? Forest, was juried into the International exhibition, Printmaking from the Edge! This exhibition is hosted by the award-winning Art Center in Dover, New Hampshire, from January through February 2021, both virtually, and on location.

This exhibtion was described by Juleen Stacy in the following quote. 

"Printmakers from Europe and the Americas come together in a new exhibition at the award-winning Art Center in Dover, New Hampshire. The resident printmaker at The Art Center, Sally Dion, curated this show. Dion is spearheading The Art Center’s new Printmaking Project. She distilled a cache of 62 artworks from hundreds of entries for this exhibition and I spoke with her about the works she chose to show the fascinating scope of what printmakers can create."

To view this exhibition virtually we are providing a links. The first link is to the overall exhibition, while the second link is to Kathleen Zimmerman’s page.

https://www.theartcenteronlinegallery.com/

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/e/2PACX-1vSiO-n5ntavkAL2ljE2VC-iRpdXiuo9SbHEx7PfL6IR_rTSf8HGA6Ph9ocHSbY4_8GUVX-yABUveQPW/pub?start=false&loop=false&delayms=60000&slide=id.g89c1f00a71_0_97

To see this exhibition in person, call (603) 978-6702 to set up an appointment. The Art Center is located at One Washington Street, Suite 1177, Dover, New Hampshire. For more information, visit  www.theartcenterdover.com.

Kathleen Zimmerman’s solo exhibition at GR Art Gallery continues in Stamford, Connecticut. All the information is listed on the postcard above. As a thank you to anyone who adopts one of Zimmerman’s works of art, we are gifting them with a copy of her book shown below.

The artist book, Look to Nature | Serigraphs | Kathleen Zimmerman Artist was published in November 2020. It can be previewed and ordered by clicking on this link: https://www.blurb.com/b/10377473-look-to-nature

Midday Star, serigraph, created and copyrighted by Kathleen Zimmerman

The art video, Look to Nature (serigraphy), was just uploaded to YouTube. It can be found at the following link: https://youtu.be/qw11DEkigP4

This video is simple focusing on her current collection of serigraphs with Kathleen Zimmerman talking about her inspiration, art and mission as an artist. Take a look and please like it if you do! Thanks.

Finally, we are adding a photo of Zimmerman creating the drawing for Midday Star, which is pictured above. She is at the studio where she does most of her drawings. She uses Stonehenge Bright White fine art paper, various graphite leads in holders, kneaded rubber erasers and cleaning pads to keep the white white!

Have a great 2021! Zimmerman Fine Art Studio

---

Exploring (Look to Nature)

You are invited!

---

---

Join us for the opening of Kathleen Zimmerman’s solo exhibition at GR Art Gallery Saturday, November 14, 2020. Her latest cast sculpture including Counting Sheep Two, and her collection of hand-made silkscreen prints including her latest, To Be or Not To Be? Forest, will make their debuts.

Kathleen Zimmerman is a visual artist who finds inspiration and insight into the world around her by looking to nature. Elements from the natural world along with 'abstract ethereal beings' populate her work as she explores ideas concerning relationships, the environment and culture.

---

---

GR Art Gallery proudly presents these thought-provoking creations and is in pristine condition. So, come ponder these cosmic and mythic depictions of animals, nature, culture, humankind, and be amazed at Zimmerman’s symbolic sensibility.

Kathleen Zimmerman will be in attendance and has offered to gift a copy of her newly published book, Look to Nature, to those who adopt one of her precious works of art!

Note: Masks are required. This exhibition, Exploring (Look to Nature), will be installed at the gallery until March 7, 2021 for those not currently in the area.

---

Contemporary Yet Ancient

The lost wax method of casting, is the process Kathleen Zimmerman uses to translate her clay or plaster originals into bronze sculpture. This method of casting was first used by the ancient Chinese and Egyptians to create ritual bronzes, or small figurines, and then by the Greeks to create life-sized bronze castings. Zimmerman’s artwork may be contemporary, but are made using this ancient methodology.

The images below are of Kathleen Zimmerman’s latest sculpture that were cast in bronze. Shown In the following order: Bear Hug {plaster), Counting Sheep - Couple (clay - both sides and plaster pair), Moon Rabbits - Full Moon (plaster pair), Community Spirit - Meeting (plaster pair) and Farm Labor (plaster).

The most important part of this process is creating the original form that will translate well into bronze. When this is accomplished, a rubber and plaster mold is made from the clay or plaster sculpture so that a bronze copy can be produced. Zimmerman makes her own molds from her clay sculpture or plaster originals and then sends these molds to an art-casting foundry. The master foundrymen use her molds to make the bronze castings. The foundry that Zimmerman is currently working with is Lands End Sculpture Center.

The images below showcase Lands End Sculpture Center in Paonia, Colorado and Zimmerman Fine Art Studio in Willington, Connecticut. Lands End Sculpture Center has years of experience in the lost wax method of casting as well as a personal connection with the artist, which explains why it’s her foundry of choice. This age-old method of casting begins with pouring hot wax into the mold, creating a wax sculpture. The wax sculpture is then spurred and chased. Spurring is adding wax funnels, while chasing is fixing any imperfections in the wax. Then the wax and spurs are coated with a number of layers of a ceramic mixture to form a shell. Once the shell is complete, it is heated in order to harden the ceramic shell and melt the wax out. This step in the process is why this type of casting is called the lost wax method. Then molten silicon bronze is poured into the empty shell, which creates the bronze casting. After the shell and bronze cool, the shell is broken off and the metal spurs are cut off. Finally, any welding that needs to be done to connect separate pieces to make a complete whole or to fix any imperfections is carried out. When this work is finished, the whole sculpture is returned to Zimmerman Fine Art Studio.

   The images above are of Zimmerman’s artwork going through the process. We are including images of the originals to help you spot them. These images include: the spurring of the wax of Bear Hug, a spurred wax of Farm Labor (upside down), the making of ceramic shells (Farm Labor up front, Bear Hug then Moon Rabbit on left and Community Spirit on right), after the wax has been melted out of the ceramic shells (Counting Sheep and Bear Hug on the left, Moon Rabbits in the middle), the pouring of the molten bronze, the shells filled with molten bronze, the cooling of the shelled castings, a view of showing some of the rough castings, and finally, these sculpture after the metal spurs were cut off and separate pieces were welded together (two of each).

The final stage of the process is to refine the metal castings, sandblast them to clean them, and the application of patina, all of which is done at Zimmerman Fine Art Studio. Welds and imperfections are sanded, and details carved back where they are needed using pneumatic tools. Then each piece is cleaned by sandblasting so that a patina can be applied. A patina is created by adding chemicals or paint to the surface of the bronze to color and seal it. If this is not done, the bronze will react to its environment and usually turns a greenish grey color. While there are numerous patinas that can be applied, Zimmerman prefers to keep it simple, either black or white, so the beauty of the forms stand out.

Once the casting is finished, Zimmerman constructs simple shapes or more complex elements to go along with the cast sculpture at Zimmerman Fine Art Studio in Willington, Connecticut. Her preferred material for these elements is wood because she thinks it has a visual softness that works well with bronze. Also, since her father was a carpenter, she feels a connection with this material and likes working with it. That being said, in life-sized outdoor sculpture; stone, water or cement may be used along with the casting to endure they stand up to whatever nature has in store for them.

Zimmerman Fine Art Studio

---