A native Oregonian, Kim McClain pursued a career in nursing and later received her license in massage therapy and training in spiritual ministry healing touch.
“It was after my son sustained a serious injury ten years ago that I began my own healing journey,” explained McClain. “A desire to learn to paint then emerged. Creating art is therapeutic for me. It is my visual language expressing my emotional response to my inner and outer world and spirituality. We all have a story and my work is a reflection of who I am, what I feel, what inspires me, what I believe in and connect to.” Inspired by color, beauty, mystery and drawn to the feminine spirit, Kim strives to stay open to intuition when she paints. Her process is difficult to describe as it varies greatly. “Sometimes I may begin playing with color, other times I have a particular image in mind. As the painting develops it may become totally different than what I originally imagined. When I paint it is always something that has touched me.”
She explores and experiments with mixing mediums and layering color and texture. Kim’s current work is a combination of abstract feminine figures and a new Healing Blanket series. Both types of work are symbolic and intended to evoke a sense of comfort and healing. The idea for the series began last summer after she experienced the deaths of two people that touched her life. A workshop with Skip Lawrence was also inspirational. It was in that workshop that the first Healing Blanket painting emerged. She wanted to create a piece that would bring a sense of comfort, the way a blanket does, and how on a deep level everything is held together and interwoven.
“I add a touch of gold to these Healing Blanket pieces and hope to incorporate various textures and possibly stitching as I explore this subject.”
Kim McClain is an artist member at the Red Chair Gallery and she will be featured throughout November.