Cole Gallery

Kim Eshelman

Kim Eshelman

My journey as an artist has gone through many iterations. When I first began painting, I worked abstractly on very large canvases. I was drawn to the pure color and energy that I had seen other artists work such magic with. As I evolved as an artist and my skills developed, I began to incorporate figures into my abstract pieces.



One of the first widely exhibited series I created was an abstracted series of jazz musicians. My father, a saxophonist, instilled in me an appreciation for the intuitive and spontaneous creative force that many jazz virtuosos express through their music. In a sense, I was working at translating that creative force into another art form, painting.



Throughout the years as I have grown more introspective, so has my body of work. Moving into a rural area has certainly influenced my choice of subject matter, and I’ve naturally gravitated toward painting the landscape. After living many years in the Seattle area with my studio in a large artists’ community downtown, I recently moved to a very rural area near the base of Mount St. Helens, close to where I was raised. I grew up exploring these forests and lakes. My joy at homecoming expresses itself visually in the pastoral pastels that presently dominate my body of work.



I have been painting in a variety of mediums and styles for over 30 years.  My work is in public and private collections worldwide. I was a featured artist in the 2021 Anniversary Edition of LandEscape Contemporary Art Review magazine, and I've been invited to participate in the prestigious 2022 International Pastel Exhibition at the Pastel Museum in Saint-Aulaye, France.



Living in the beautiful woods of Washington state near the base of Mount Saint Helens with my partner provides constant inspiration for my work.



Artist Statement:



Painting is a meditation that allows me to focus and become still, leaving the world outside and entering a place where I can fully express myself. Translating the beauty of nature around me into paintings has been incredibly healing for me. I believe the subjective lens though which we all view the world is a common thread between us. We have different stories, but they’re all human, intertwined with love, loss, pain, and joy. My experiences have shaped my reality, both figuratively and visually. Painting has become the intimate bridge between my inner life and the outside world. What began as an intense desire to express myself has evolved into an aspiration to evoke emotions and a feeling of human connection in others.