Kincardine artist Andrea Zimmer has solo show at Victoria Park Gallery

Kincardine artist Andrea Zimmer enjoys capturing joyful moments and experimenting with materials through mixed media painting, puppetry and sculpture.

While this is her second time as a guest artist at the Victoria Park Gallery in downtown Kincardine, this is her first solo show. In May, 2015, she had her work exhibited, along with the Kincardine Sunset Quilters' Guild Past-President's Challenge, in the guest gallery.
 

Born and raised in Dashwood, Ontario, Zimmer moved to Vancouver to study at the Emily Carr School of Art. She graduated and then stayed there for 18 years, and began working with a company doing outdoor celebration art. She did a lot of festivals, working with stilts and puppets, something she continues to do in Kincardine.
 

In 2008, she moved here with her husband, Bill Morrison, and now works as an art educator as well as an artist. Currently, she facilitates the children's art and activities at "Create! Art and Play Summer Camp," Professional Activity Days, and local events, including the Lighthouse Blues Festival, Kincardine Scottish Festival, Kincardine Pride, Marine Heritage Fesival, and the Kincardine Business Improvement Area (BIA)'s street events.

Sometimes, fun festival projects become part of her work. "Suminagashi," the Japanesse art of "floating ink,"is used to create marbled paper. The fluid lines echo the colourful ripples of the painted water in recent works. Zimmer has used this technique to create greeting cards on display with her artwork.

Also on display are "Snake Trees," created by participants in the "Create! Art and Play Camp." They learned about a number of modern artists, including Niki de Saint Phaile, said Zimmer. Inspired by the artist's giant public sculptures, they then created these happy snake trees, guided by local art educator Antje Martens-Oberwelland.

Zimmer's realistic sea creatures and mosquito sculptures/puppets can be seen at the Vancouver Public Aquarium and the Fraser River Discovery Centre. In Kincardine, you will see her flying heron, scottish terrier and fish puppets in Community Living's Lighthouse Players show, "Ian and Friends."

Her fun, mixed-media paintings are in collections in Canada, the United States, and Europe. Last year, she began adding layers to them, such as silver leaf to boats.

Zimmer's Smiley-face paintings, using acrylic on wood and acrylic on canvas, stemmed from her plan to create a children's book. Drawing from her work with puppets, she sat down and did a few sketches, and from there, the spontaneous and fun Smiley-faces appeared. Now, she has added hair to some of them.

Having completed the Artist Education Foundation course with the Royal Ontario Conservatory, Zimmer is the recent recipient of an Ontario Arts Council "Arts in Education" grant which allows her to bring her Wildlife Puppet Project into local classrooms.

She is thrilled to have her work on display in the guest gallery through the month of August.

The gallery is located in the Kincardine Arts Centre in downtown Kincardine, Its summer hours are Monday to Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, Noon to 3 p.m.