Kimm Barnes’ artistic style is liberally splashed with the brilliant, bright, acrylic colors, and his books are populated with the kind of wide-eyed characters that mesmerize children.
But the vast majority of his work has metaphorical messaging targeted toward a mature and thoughtful audience. Themes of his paintings can be ominous, hopeful, political, sad, optimistic, dark, or humorous, with titles like “Forces of Chaos,” “3 Guns, 1 Bullet, 4 Dead,” “Waiting for the Next Big Wave,” “Currents of Love,” and “Journey over Sorrow Mountain.” “I think you have to look at everything when you’re trying to understand the world you live in,” Barnes said. “I can’t seem to paint a happy painting without also painting something that might be a bit dark. I need that balance.” |