Meet Kim Voisin, the newly elected Programs ad Publicity Chair and Board Member of the Louisiana Watercolor Society.
Kim was born in Saigon, Vietnam, and came to the U.S. in 1970. She has lived all over Connecticut, in Tampa, Florida, and now resides here in Schriever, Louisiana.
Kim joined LWS because she wanted to meet more watercolorists. It took several years before deciding on this group. She says, “I’m glad I did because everyone has been so welcoming. Best of all, the artists are very talented and will keep me challenged.”
She retired from teaching in December of 2014. A friend invited her to paint and have lunch with her friends. Her response was “I don’t know how to paint, but I can eat lunch.” In March 2015, she picked up her first watercolor brush and has been addicted ever since.
Kim does not have any art background, but tried to learn as much as possible from artists she admired. During Covid, she watched many Streamline videos that Eric Rhoads, the founder of PleinAir Magazine, would put on at 3:00 every afternoon. From there, she joined Dreamlineartists and has learned and become friends with many gifted artists. She participated in several of Eric Rhoad’s online conferences: WatercolorLive, RealismLive, PasteLive, and PleinairLive. She states, “these are my art education.”
With all the artists she was exposed to at these conferences, she narrowed it down to Andy Evensen and Fabio Cembranelli. From Andy Evensen, she learned how important it is to complete a value study, to be looser and to not paint everything she sees. With Fabio Cembranelli, she learned how to be looser and the importance of lifting the pigment. These two artists will be her lifelong teachers.
Kim’s inspiration for painting comes from her travels. When on the road, she carries a sketchbook and a limited palette. She also takes a million pictures and files them away for when she wants to put a painting together. Once she has a picture in mind then she draws it up. Developing a painting in her head and drawing takes up most of her time. The actual act of painting is like icing on the cake.
She has won numerous awards at the Terrebonne Fine Arts Guild in Houma, Louisiana Artists Guild Unlimited Everett Street Gallery in Morgan City, Louisiana. The most recent awards are from LWS shows. Her painting “Still Standing” received Best of Show at the Christwood Juried LWS Member Show. She placed third with “YUM” in the Archives Spring Member Exhibit. This painting was juried into the LWS’s 54th Annual International Exhibition by Kathleen Giles. An achievement she most cherishes is a painting done a few years ago, entitled “Once Upon the Saigon River.” It is a painting of a river in her country. This painting received second place at the 56th Labor Day Art Show in Morgan City, Louisiana. What made this special is that her daughter wanted and proudly displays the painting in her home.
She only takes one or two commissions a year, and only if they have a special meaning to the commissioner or herself. Her art journey is new, so she just wants to paint and enjoy this gift.
