Kim Beaton
Kim Beaton is a dynamic, driven, curious, inventive, and charismatic figure. Known for her large scale works, exuberant public performances and skilled craftsmanship, she is a mature and experienced artist. Formerly from the US, she is a New Zealand citizen and resident of 15 years, living in Wellington.
In her words;
“I am passionate about narrative sculpture, something that tells a story. This is the single defining thread behind all my work. Especially the immersive pieces, where you can glimpse the entirety of a world just by seeing one part of it. The worlds of ancient myth are by far the most compelling. These mythologies danced between the worlds of the known and the yet to be understood. When storms were the voices of gods and silenced glades were the places of power. I am fascinated when Metaphors become truly tangible things to be communicated with. A solitary figure may mean the end of innocence, or a half buried sculpture can mean the end of a great ancient civilization. By being in the presence of these manifest metaphors, the present world becomes a thoughtful reflection of their reality.
Therefore all my sculptures are a social commentary. Whether it is a desire to see the world before history came crashing into the room, or to see man as the only full mind that can comprehend the true form of nature.
My goal has always been to express this, and it set me on a lifetime journey to make them real. This proved to be nearly impossible with the available materials. It took thirty years and most of my career to discover the way to make all of this happen. I invented machines to manipulate materials in new ways, discovered processes to control every property a material could offer.
I became fluent in all forms of 3D expression and construction; from bronze to wood to plastics to carbon fiber to concrete, and everything in between. I have done portraiture the size of a pinhead and sculptures 3 stories tall.
It has been an exhilarating journey. It is just now bearing fruit. I now possess the maturity and materials that can manifest my visions with clarity. I can see those moments of myth and nature, shape them in my mind and make them real.
Thus the Immersive Landscapes and the outdoor clay Pal Tiya came into being. The Immersive Landscapes are my love song to nature, set apart from the presence of people. They capture vignettes of solitary environments. These are intentionally, quietly contemplative pieces. I want my reverence for nature to breathe through these pieces like a soft wind.
Pal Tiya Premium is a highly refined material which allows me to sculpt anything I wish and install it outside. My desire to create environments of mythological purpose and narrative is liberated from the drawing board. With this material, my work has generously expanded in scale and scope. I am doubly pleased by the adoption of this material to schools, where young, aspiring and professional artists can also manifest their work.
At 60 years of age, my career has just begun. My best work is still ahead of me. All the foundations are in place to go forward from here.”
Natural ambience with flowing water and birds.
Kim Beaton’s immersive landscapes create a unique sensory experience. By combining tactile environments, a rich color palette and the presence of dimensional water, her work is intended to feel as if you could plunge into them and experience the cold water on your skin.
Arctic Blue
Mixed media
There is a time when deep waters are so still, it seems the world holds its breath for a moment. On the coldest days water looses its energy and can achieve a shocking, almost time stopping stillness.
Blue Inlet
Mixed media
Juxtaposing two natures, a hard defiant stone and a cold translucent water slithering between the textures. The movement of the water is only shown in the altered color, not its surface. It is a dangerous depth with a sinister undertow.
Japanese Pool
Mixed Media
A study of chiaroscuro, a dynamic play of light. Koi are seen as flashes of metallic sheen against a velvety background. The water needed to feel almost bottomless as if 5he fish had come from a considerable depth
Blue Koi
Mixed media
This is a chaotic piece. The water is moving, the koi are flashing about and the ripples dance wildly. The scene is wonderfully frenetic.
Red Koi
Mixed media
The colours of the koi are like fire in the water. Little licks of flame in the cool, quiet pool. This is a study in juxtaposition, hot/cold, wet/hard, close in /distant, moving and still.
Mountain Stream
Mixed Media
The bright dance of a stream happily making its way among rocks. It hums and sings of a summer’s day. The blue is like a tourmaline gemstone embedded in old tarnished silver.
Forest Pool
Mixed media
Calm, cloistered by trees and isolated. This is a private moment of still waters, hushed with the surroundings. Early morning before the first birdsong, cold with stillness and a whispered sense of anticipation.
Mossy River
Mixed media
Dense moss only grows in areas of enduring stillness. The water begins in bright golden light and the decends into a cool consistent darkness. The water is swift, propelling its way through this shaded region with purpose. Within it, is the ghostly presence of a woman, traveling through the land.
White Boulder
Mixed Media
I saw a cold dark grotto with a bright ribbon of water threading through it. This cloistered stream emerged into the light of a sun dappled pool. It felt as if the stream breathed openly after a time of isolation.
Haunted Pool
Mixed media
Some waters are dark and inhabited. There can be a presence felt even in a sheltered abandoned space. Is it malevolent? Frightened? Lonely? Should you find out? The ripples here are languid, soft and not threatening. You would not expect sharp or unexpected movement to inhabit such a place.
Disquiet Waters
Mixed media
This water is cacophonous. You can hear its voice in the agitated ripples corruscating off the rocky surroundings. It is responding in kind to the unruliness of the terrain. It’s like the wild squabbling of two crows on a fence fussing over the weather.
River stones
Mixed Media
A calm babbling stream with inviting warm colours. But Nature is hiding her true intent, the pool is deeper than it appears. A slight sense of vertigo as you realise the downward pull of the surrounding water.
Bursary Corugatta
Cultured stone, paint
An impressive and splendid sea shell with opalescent interior. A sculpture celebrating the grandeur and delicate design within nature.
Gold and Black
Mixed media
Kim Beaton’s immersive landscapes create a unique sensory experience. By combining tactile environments, a rich color palette and the presence of dimensional water, her work is intended to feel as if you could plunge into them and experience the cold water on your skin.
Gold and Grey
Mixed media
At sunset the light in the water burns brighter than the sky. As the sky dims, the water ignites. This is a moment looking out across the bay when the water went metallic as polished silver and the city lights became gold.
Blue Reflections
Mixed Media
A joyful dance of light, pattern and color. I wanted the water to feel it was crackling with energy, life and presence