Artist Spotlight: Andrea Kimberley
Artist Spotlight: Andrea Kimberley
Andrea Kimberley, owner of LivingTree.creative, is an international artist perpetually on the lookout for her next artistic adventure. Her unique style, which she calls “contained blown glass”, emerged after she developed an allergy to acrylic paint, which was her primary medium. Andrea discovered that liquid watercolor offered the vibrancy and versatility she craved. However, she felt that watercolor images themselves lacked the structure and precision she found satisfying. On a whim, she incorporated black lines into the images and found she could hide little drawings in plain sight. The combination of watercolor and ink lends itself beautifully, capturing both the felt sense and the structure of symbols. Her work has been featured multiple times in New York, Western Canada, Ecuador, and on murals around her hometown of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Her paradoxical nature of joyful-structured flow shines through in the pieces she creates.
Stemming from her passion for foraging, mushrooms are Andrea’s muse. She sees mushrooms as miniature aliens arriving in unexpected places that awaken her inner child’s curiosity. There is so much unpredictability in how the fungi kingdoms behave and interact with their surroundings, including the human psyche. Magic mushrooms create profound insights and imagery for people, and Andrea enjoys capturing these experiences on paper. Her artwork lends itself exceptionally well to the task. The 9×12 watercolor images typically feature a primary symbol with hidden meanings inside based on the journeyer’s experiences. These images may be digitally altered afterward, resulting in entirely unique and intricate pieces.
Andrea Kimberley
Listening to and reflecting people’s psychedelic experiences on paper is Andrea’s intention. Once the client completes their journey and takes time to reflect, they have the opportunity to share their experiences with Andrea over a video call. During this time, the client shares themes and insights gleaned from the trip and selects a main symbol to be incorporated into their one-of-a-kind piece of art. Together, Andrea and the client agree upon 3-5 hidden images based on the client’s journey.
Before developing her unique style and as a response to both her own journey and witnessing others’ experiences with psychoactive substances, she felt the integration piece to be exceptionally important. She noticed herself and others going through similar insights and lessons on repeat: similar pain and suffering, similar lessons and insights, and wanted to find ways to integrate the experiences. As such, she picked up a brush and created. A few years later, a coworker at a psychedelic retreat center asked Andrea to draw an owl she envisioned during her Ayahuasca experience. Andrea gave it a try, felt satisfied with her work, and has been creating ever since. Integration was, in part, a tangible piece of art that she could take with her for years to come as a continual reminder of the insights she gleaned from her journey.
Andrea Kimberley
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