Kim Floyd - 10 Questions for Artists

I first became aware of Kim's work through Argyle Fine Art Gallery's Pre-Shrunk Show a few years ago. At that time Kim was painting everyday things...nostalgic food and food products, toys, dresses.  Then she seemed to slip off the radar a bit but when she returned was making these abstracted landscapes of familiar Nova Scotia haunts. The simplicity of these pieces belies the fact of how very difficult it is to know when to STOP while still capturing the essence of a place. Plus her colour choices only enhance the pared down scapes. Love them! And I'm super grateful Kim was able to answer 10 Questions for Artists.

 

1. Favourite artist. Living or dead.

This one is hard because there are so many favourites. But the truth is, right now, without a doubt my favourite artist is a painter named Ben Reeves. I think he lives in Vancouver and I only discovered his work on Instagram. The work is beautiful and speaks of solitude and childhood and the work looks magical and fun to make.

2. What's one thing in your studio you REALLY should throw out?

I should throw out the old cans of food that are out of date to eat that used to be my subject matter.

3. Best studio snack. (creative nutrition is important!)

I do not eat in the studio. But I do drink decaf orange pekoe tea with milk (I have a not so good relationship with caffeine) and sometimes I have a fizzy water.

4. Favourite studio smell.

I love the smell of art supplies, art classes and art school. But by far the nicest smell is Chinese ink. When I taught art for a while, the kids did not like the smell and I couldn’t comprehend at all.

5. Least favourite studio smell.

I don’t like the smell of frisket. I don’t use it much but it smells strong. It’s basically if you want to keep an area white or a colour in a watercolour you can paint it on, let it dry and paint without losing that colour. You just rub it off and put the bits in the trash.

6. Most used art related app on your phone.

 Instagram and Sketch 

7. Top song in your studio. 

 I love the album Mermaid Avenue. I love every song. How the written words found by Woody Guthrie’s daughter were put to music by Billy Bragg and Wilco is an interesting idea to me.

8. Favourite art-related author, podcast(er), YouTuber.

I think the women in Art Juice have a good podcast and I find Laura Boswell, a printmaker, is a very generous Youtuber. I think Drawing on The Right Side of the Brain is an excellent book.

9. Least favourite part of art-making.

Stopping haha...seriously...once I can get in there the time flies but I don’t like stopping but when you have a lot of responsibilities you have to.

10. Describe THE thing that would make you think: "I've Made It."

I don’t think I have any idea what that would be now. At one point in my life, I thought I had reached something like that. It wasn’t what I thought it was going to be and made me feel stuck. I think it’s more important to keep working. I need to follow my own intuition regarding what and how I desire to paint. 

More about Kim:  

I am in a group show entitled “Sky and Water” in June at the Ice House Gallery which is part of The Grace Jollymore Arts Centre in Tatamagouche.

Kim Floyd is an acrylic and watercolour painter inspired by the natural world and her own imagination. She was born in Ottawa and went to the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design in the mid 90s where she received her BFA in 1997.

Website: https://flyingmackerelstudio.com/ Instagram: @kimfloydpaint

Thanks Kim!

Interested in joining in 10 Questions for Artists?

Email or message me and I'll send you the details!