She was considered something of a child prodigy and first exhibited at the age of 12 at a large mixed show in Rio de Janeiro among other Brazilian artists such as Scliar and Bianco. At 17 Kim left Brazil to study Fine Arts at the Parsons School of Design in New York City with Larry Rivers and, under the tutelage of Professor Earl Pardon, at Skidmore College in upstate New York where she developed a new technique in enamel painting on steel. During this period her reputation grew as she exhibited extensively in Brazil and New York. She was awarded prizes and honours for her achievements by the Beaux Arts Institute of Brazil and also produced a series of illustrations for the Broadway magician Doug Henning. Her work has been published internationally since 1972 when she produced a series of cards for the Pan American Foundation (a branch of the United Nations for the benefit of children's education).
In 1975 she was granted special permission at the Central School of Art to further her development in the technique she had pioneered and also to work on printmaking with Norman Ackroyd R.A. While in England she began designing her numerous record sleeves, the most famous of which, for Steve Hackett's 'Voyage Of The Acolyte', was awarded "Cover of the Year". Based on her sleeve designs she went on to create stage sets and light shows for several touring productions.
A commission followed from publishers Sidgwick & Jackson to illustrate a book of lyrics for the world-famous innovative rock band Genesis, two of whose songs, 'Entangled' and 'Blood On The Rooftops', had been inspired by her paintings. In 1979 she was invited by Jim Henson to help design 'The History of the Muppets' - a touring show for the Muppets company which was shown at major museums across the United States.
Since the late Salvador Dali christened her unique style 'Diaphanism' Kim Poor has done much to develop the technique, exploring all the possibilities it offers. Some of her paintings are fired up to a hundred times until she is satisfied with the result. Layers of finely powdered glass work as a glaze to deepen colours and give her images the diffuse quality which the term 'Diaphanism' so well describes.
"This complex technique involves many months' research into the critical high and low temperatures required to achieve specific colours, and a very delicate control of layers of opaque and transparent glass powders in order to achieve depth and colour. The main concern is to elevate the quality of enamels from a merely decorative element to a high artistic form."
Throughout her training, Kim found that her responses to the formal exercises she was set invariably led to a narrative - a tradition which is strong in South America - and this led her to explore the Amazonian myths and fables she was told as a child. In Brazil such stories co-exist with day to day happenings and there is a willingness to suspend disbelief which permeates Brazilian society. A sense of fantasy mixed with reality is explored in all her work. Kim's links with Brazil remain strong and she returns several times a year to gather inspiration for her work. Hence her latest project "Legends Of The Amazon" where she attempts to rescue the cultural heritage of the Amazon Indian by publishing a unique collection of their myths and legends complemented by her unique paintings.
Kim Poor/Legends of the Amazon Exhibition Catalog ....Book $17.99
Kim Poor/Mad Man Moon ....Fine Art Print $99.99
Kim Poor/Apocalypse in 9/8 ....Fine Art Print $99.99
Kim Poor/The Hermit ....Fine Art Print $99.99
Kim Poor/Set of 8 Greeting Cards ....$14.99
Kim Poor/Set of 12 Greeting Cards ....$17.99
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