Kimberly Skillin Traina
www.KimTraina.com
Kimberly Skillin Traina, born in Maine, raised in Massachusetts, graduated from UMass Dartmouth with a degree in Design and Photography. Since 1985, she has owned and operated a design and photography business originally in Massachusetts, and now in Edgecomb, Maine. In 2011, she wanted to develop a creative expression that didn't involve working on a computer. Working with soft pastels allows her to work with her fingers, feeling the medium as she applies layers of color. She loves the intensity of the colors of soft pastels, which are made of pure pigment. By layering and brushing away, pushing and pulling the medium, she captures a feeling, a quality of light, the essence of a moment in time found in nature.
If Kim is not painting plein-aire, she starts with a photograph she has taken, but the end result is always its own story. She hangs her pastels in her studio for months, picking them up to add a color, or change a shape until the story that wants to be told is complete.
Painting keeps Kim connected and focused, living in the moment, reminding her she has a choice in how she views the world around her. As an artist, it is her hope to ignite a spark, stimulate a response, and convey her passion for living in Maine.