As a little girl, Kim Paxton naturally gravitated towards creating something only she could envisage. Though life briefly had her step away from the blank canvas, the last 20 years has seen her make up for all the lost time.
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A visual artist, Paxton believes art to be healing and asserts it to be one of the most important parts of her growth through life’s challenges. “It’s how I express myself. It has brought me a community of other artists.” Whether it is through the soft watercolours, the ink that intensifies them, the layered acrylic, or maybe the pops of oil paint, she will use any material to ensure her art not only expresses her but also a sense of calm that comes over her as she paints.
So far, her favourite art piece has been an abstract landscape, 1.2 m x 1m. “So, bigger than usual. I had reworked this canvas several times, and finally allowed myself to relax and have fun.” Paxton, who recently had her art exhibited at an event hosted by the Argentinean Association of South Africa in Emmarentia, says she really enjoyed the process of making this art piece and the way it looked in the end, as it felt like her essence was a part of it. But, through every piece she creates, she finds that she looses herself in the process. As the music plays and she intuitively adds colours through different mediums, which helps her create layers, it all culminates in a moment when she just feels it’s right.
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The life of an artist, however, is not always perfectly matched colours. In Paxton’s opinion, it’s really tough for artists to find an outlet for their art. “There are so many wonderful artists and their work. I was fortunate to find support with Alice Art Gallery through their Alice art in the garden programme, but it’s really overwhelming trying to navigate markets and galleries.”
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