farewell 2009.

EAT - DRINK - BE MERRY.

HAPPY NEW YEAR.

may your days be merry and bright.

Wishing you all peace, patience and love this holiday season. Let's all take good care of each other and savor the moments spent with friends & family. Here's to good things in the coming year. See you then.

frazier & wing II

I recently had the pleasure of shooting another round of beautiful creations from frazier & wing. Heather has been quite the busy bee, making fun and festive new garlands, branch pieces and mobiles. More photos can be found here and here.

annie + russ: hitched!

I am so happy to have met this ingenious pair, and even more thrilled that I had the opportunity to photograph their wedding day. These lovebirds may look slightly familiar from this recent post of their engagement shoot. Their nuptials were incredibly unique, and the day was full of laughter, happy tears, dancing, gratitude, hope, joy, song and celebratory magic!
Annie is a very talented photographer, and consequently, is surrounded by a community of friends who are also inspiring photographers. I can't even count how many cameras were at this event, but it was amazing and I was honored to be one of the many! Here is just a mere selection of my photographs from the day - a tiny piece of the puzzle created by the web of photographers both attending and documenting the celebration.  My very best wishes of love, adventure, and happiness to this clever couple.

hello december.

Let me get straight to the point: I am in denial of December's rapid arrival. I was surprised by November's beginning, but the appearance of December has shocked me. It always does.
You may remember this lovely lady, Silke, from the hello november post. We decided it would be a good challenge to take on a photo project, greeting the beginning of each month - where we could try out new ideas, push ourselves out of our comfort zones, create and collaborate. We are both inspired by the explosion of creativity from the amazingly talented Kelty of Steep Street, and were even more motivated to pursue this project after viewing her TGIH series, a weekly photo project between her and her sister.  I encourage you to take a look at the beauty and wonder of her work. In the spirit of the season, we decided to spend a bit of our evening amongst twinkling lights and noble firs. It is an absolute joy to work with someone who not only has unbelievable patience and willingness, but a craving for understanding and an enthusiasm for both sides of the lens. Thank you Silke. We are excited about this creative collaboration, and look forward to sharing it with you. Look for more hellos from us.
(Click on the photos to view larger. I think they look nicer that way).

jody katopothis.

From top to bottom: Untitled II, Untitled V, Untitled IX

Jody not only has the voice of a lark, makes a mean chicken dinner, soothes as a massage therapist, creates heartfelt music, entrances you when she speaks Greek, but this little songbird is also a thoughtful and talented painter.

It is exciting to see these works in person – to notice the intricacies of her layering and use of vibrant color. But beyond that, these works have soul. I recently had the pleasure of viewing these paintings and having a little Q & A with Jody about her current Holiday Art Show & Sale. Hope you enjoy!

Q: Could you please tell me about the relationship between your music and art?

A: I have been making art and music for as long as I can remember, and can not imagine how my life would be without this work. The two are fully intertwined, compliment one another and together inspire, inform and feed each other. They are two languages, separate yet intimately related.”

Q: Where does one of your paintings begin?

 A: A painting usually starts with a concept, most often based in a feeling, memory, experience or the essence of a specific place. There is almost never a predetermined visual, as each painting unfolds intuitively. There are recurring themes which spring from life experiences and contemplations, including the organic beauty of nature, family roots, twins, the layers that make up our lives, the connectedness of everything, the dwellings and architecture we create and inhabit, and also the remnants of civilizations past…

Q: What motivates you and your work?

A: Life itself is inspiring from every little corner. Having said that, I do think quite often, about a quote from Chuck Close. “I don't work with inspiration. Inspiration is for amateurs. I just get to work.”  When I first heard this, I didn’t like it much and felt almost offended. After thinking about it over time, I have embraced the idea of just how important it is to make art a daily practice, to simply go into the studio and work. Even when the “inspiration” is not obvious, there is a quality of thriving, found in getting one’s hands dirty.

Q: You have worked large and small. So, why the current small works?

A: Recently, I began to miss the intimacy of painting in that smaller space, of creating a tiny window, where you have to stop and focus to notice the small details.

I believe we all need a moment of pause to savor the small details. After a preview of the work, I decided to treat myself and take one of these home. Which will be your favorite? Check out the Holiday Art Show & Sale here or visit www.jodykat.com.

hello november.

Hello November. You always seem to arrive with a swiftness. Yet, I feel you have been here quietly for a while, slowly turning. Making your grand entrance through bursts of varying shades of crimson, orange and yellow, you then leave the trees barren all too soon. I don’t think I’m alone in that these cool winds of change bring about reflection, and can feel both difficult and revitalizing.

Here are a few photos from a recent portrait session of a lovely woman, Silke. Knowing the Portland rains will soon descend; we savored the fleeting drops of sunshine on this gorgeous autumn afternoon.

lanterns.

If you are a local Portlander, don't miss these beauties that are gracing our city at the moment.

(at the Portland Art Museum as part of China Design Now).

annie + russ: engaged

Allow me to introduce my dear friends, Annie and Russ who are getting hitched next month. Yay! Since I spend a lot of time photographing during the evening hours, Annie and Russ requested that their engagement shoot be at night - in my likeness and style. I was very excited about this idea, as I photograph a lot at night, but this was the first time it would be with a couple, and a fabulous couple to boot. These two are fun, creative, intelligent, thoughtful - the list goes on. I feel strongly that photography is a collaborative effort, and these two had an amazing energy in front of the camera that helped to create some of these shots. They were incredibly patient, willing to try anything, and troopers in this cold weather. Thank you to both of them. I can't wait for their wedding!

frazier & wing

(All photos: Kimi Kolba Photography, with the exception of the last photo, courtesy of Heather Frazier from frazier & wing).

Have you seen the work of frazier & wing? A while back, I had the pleasure of photographing these lovely mobiles designed and created by the talented Heather Frazier. I just love her branch pieces, and I feel like a lucky girl because she made a beautiful birch piece for our wedding (see last photo here). She has some new birch branch pieces and Fall inspired work that I absolutely adore. Check them out here.

limited edition print.

I'm happy to announce the beginning of my limited edition print series starting with Industry (seen here) and available here.

The nitty-gritty:

Archival pigment print
Museo Silver Rag
11 x 14 inches
Edition of 25

I am excited about this new project. Many more prints to come...

pushdot

I am honored to have a show at pushdot - opening this Friday.
If you are free, I'd love to see you there. All the nitty-gritty details below...

Kimi Kolba, Linger
Friday October 2nd through Friday October 30th, 2009
1st Friday Reception: October 2nd, 2009 6-9pm

Pushdot Studio
1021 SE Caruthers St. Portland, OR 97214
(503) 224-5925 www.pushdotstudio.com

Gallery Hours: Mon-Fri 8:30am to 5:00pm

Kimi Kolba’s work explores the contemporary landscape at night. She asks the viewer to invest in a slow read of the work as to decipher it fully. Similar to the visual experience at night, the eye must be given time to adjust, allowing space for a concentrated awareness and a greater level of observation. With recurring ideas of solitude and silence, her work continues with an investigation and extends a curiosity and fascination towards the surrounding landscape, encompassing the new, the northwest urban and industrial, and the psychological.

Kimi Kolba is an artist living and working in Portland. She holds an MFA from Claremont Graduate University in Studio Art, Photography. She remains active in her community as an artist, gallery assistant, and performing and fine arts instructor. www.kimikolba.com

why honestly kimberly?

Why Honestly Kimberly when most of you know me as Kimi? Growing up, my dad would utter this phrase whenever one, I frustrated him, two, was up to one of my crazy ideas, or three, in his words, when I would not yield to his wise advice. (For the record, he does give very wise advice). He and I have been been using the phrase for years. To this day, he uses it out of frustration - especially when I am finishing my wine. (I just love to savor wine after a good meal). And while these words began out of difficulty, over the years, they have transitioned into a term of endearment.
HONESTLY KIMBERLY! (sometimes followed by a huff) - brings back many memories, and it has grown to mean something of importance to me. It's an expression dear to my heart, and consequently, I wanted to use it for this blog. This project just might be another one of my crazy ideas, and I want to utilize it as a personal way of keeping me honest or keeping me in check - ensuring that I am growing, learning, and improving as an individual and photographer. And despite any huff, this phrase is usually followed by my dad's smile. Honestly.

kitty wigs!

Oh my goodness gracious. Allow me to introduce my dear friend, Jill Johnson. She is not only a creative and talented photographer, but this girl has heart and soul like no other! She always brings the sunshine with her wherever she goes. She took me under her wing while I was in Texas, and she is a woman and photographer I truly admire and feel thankful to have as a friend.

She has been a busy bee working on an exciting new project with creator of Kitty Wigs, Julie Jackson - a new book called Glamourpuss. I felt compelled to share this fun -filled sensation with you. If you need some laughter, check it out! Available at kittywigs.com and Amazon!

From Chronicle Books' press release:

"Get ready for the first photo book of its kind, featuring felines sprawled out on sofas, gazing out windows, and striking some serious poses, all donned in the hottest new pet accessory; Kitty Wigs. Glamourpuss showcases over 60 stylish portraits of cats as you have never seen them before, exposing their true diva selves and basking in the limelight. With profiles included on all of the model felines as well as captions accompanying each photo shoot, we promise you won’t be able to pick up this tome without laughing."