Artist Kimia Kline

After recently coming across the beautiful work of artist and filmmaker kimia kline, have quickly fallen for the stunning moodiness of her oil paintings, pretty composition and delicate silhouettes. A softly balanced color palette of taupe, blushing rose, olive, ivory and thistle, her inspired work evokes a sense of beauty in the subtleties of the female figure, as she exquisitely translates her pretty surroundings. An mfa graduate from the san fransisco art institute, and originally from nashville, kimia has traveled and lived in cities around the world and currently lives in chennai, india with her husband.

Also had the chance of speaking with the lovely kimia and learning more about her work, inspirations and aspirations.

1. Where do you find inspiration?
I find inspiration in my surroundings, so when my environments change, my paintings generally change as well. I also look at a lot of other painters and contemporary artists, as well as fashion photography and images of women from advertising and pop culture.

2. How would you describe your work?
I like to hope that my work investigates common notions of beauty and the politics surrounding the ideal image of the female figure. Advertising and media have created this unattainable standard of beauty that women all over the world try to attain. I was shocked when I moved to India to discover that the women here use a cream called, “Fair and Lovely” in order to bleach their skin and look more Caucasian. It seems that no matter where my travels take me, I find this Eurocentric ideal of beauty dominating and see women harming themselves in order to attain it.

3. What do you hope to achieve through your paintings?
I guess the main thing I try to achieve is an emotional response in the viewer. I want people to look at my paintings and feel, even if it’s not always a positive or happy emotion.

If you’d like to own any of her pretty prints, visit her {shop}.

(images: kimia kline)