MIRIAM A. KILMER
Pastels, Photography | Website: RisingDove.com E-mail: miriam@risingdove.com |
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Miriam
Kilmer has been surrounded by the arts since early childhood. Her
parents founded Green Hedges Elementary School (still flourishing in
Vienna, VA) in order to give their ten children a superior education
with emphasis on the arts. Her ancestors include poets Joyce and Aline
Kilmer and American Impressionist Frederick C. Frieseke. (Miriam's
experience in the challenges of preserving Frieseke's works on paper
has encouraged her to use archival materials in her own artwork.)
Enriched by this background, Miriam and all of her siblings have
continued to develop their artistic talents throughout their lives.
Miriam earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting and Printmaking at
UNC-G, and her Masters in Theology rom De Sales School of Theology. She
has led art workshops with children and adults, worked as a portrait
studio photographer, and operated her own fine arts business since
1979.
Over the years Miriam has developed a variety of distinctive styles,
influenced by the medium, subject matter, and purpose of the artwork,
as well as her widening outlook and diverse environments. She now
specializes in pastel, photography, computer graphics, and web design.
Her unifying theme is love for the Source of creation and all that
flows from that Source, as evidenced by her focus on nature, portraits,
and spiritual subjects.
Miriam has exhibited her works in numerous juried and solo shows. Her
photographs have been published in magazines, newsletters, and books,
most notably the Shapenotes issue of Smithsonian in The Classroom. Her
artwork is included in private collections in Canada and France as well
as the United States.
The Shenandoah Valley is a familiar place to Miriam. From early
childhood, the Blue Ridge Mountains and Shenandoah Valley were among
her favorite places to visit. Since the early eighties, she has made
numerous visits to the area, including her yearly week on Bryce
Mountain, taking thousands of photographs of local wildlife and farm
animals.
- by Lisa Kadel
I am inspired primarily by my reverence for nature. My pictures come
from many places, such as my native Virginia and other states I have
visited, notably the southwest landscapes of Arizona and New Mexico. I
love the challenge of photographing animals: birds - especially baby
birds and their nests - butterflies, cats, deer, and so on. I am
fascinated by the power of the camera to freeze moments which pass so
quickly they are easily missed. These include not only living things
such as flowers and trees blowing in the wind, but also rocks, cliffs,
clouds, and landscapes as they are changed by wind, storms, and shadows
in shifting sunlight from sunrises to sunsets and twilight.
Although nature photography is my first love, I also enjoy taking
portraits, and happily take commissions for special photographic or
graphic projects. When choosing which of my thousands of images to
offer as limited edition giclee prints, I look for a spiritual quality,
dramatic composition and sumptuous color. Whether you choose to order
prints or are simply here to browse, I hope you enjoy the pictures I
exhibit.