About the Artist

Kim Middleton was born and raised in Sitka, Alaska and graduated from Western Washington University with degrees in Biology and Chemistry.  After working as an analytical and research chemist, Kim volunteered with the United States Peace Corps as a science teacher in a remote village in Botswana, Africa.  After Peace Corps, she has spent her life working with and studying birds. 

The avian art of Kim Middleton portrays birds in a different light.  Her ornithological work gives Kim unique insights into birds, which she embodies in her art.  Kim’s paintings reveal the understanding she has achieved through her life-long work with birds as a biologist, wildlife rehabilitator, bird trainer and bird watcher.

“My passion for birds is strong, so I strive to meld all facets of my life around birds, whether I am painting, conducting biologic work, teaching, or traveling.”  Middleton says, " The complexity of the avian world inspires me, and I yearn to spark the viewer's awareness and compassion for birds through compelling compositions that evoke emotions and a sense of awe. My personal mission is to bring bird appreciation to every household through art, education, and excursions."

Kim applies watercolor glazing techniques, using a limited palette of transparent oil paints, to achieve rich, luminous works that showcase the beauty and splendor of birds.  A close inspection of her paintings reveals the wide range of colors produced as light penetrates and reflects through the multiple, thin layers of oil paint.

Art critic Brian Sherwin, Editor of The Art Edge, commented on artist Kim Middleton's paintings. Sherwin said, "Kim's paintings capture the magnificence of the avian world. Each painting acknowledges the power and beauty of nature -- reminding us that we should never take the natural treasures of our world for granted. She approaches her work with a studied eye... the combined sight of an artist and scientist -- resulting in work that is as awe-inspiring as it is educational."

Kim has sold her bird art at national and international juried shows including, Artists for Conservation’s International Exhibit of Nature in Art, Oil Painters of America’s Juried Exhibit of Traditional Oil, Women Artists of the West’s National Juried Show, Fallbrook Art Center’s Reflections of Nature, and has shown her juried work at Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum’s Birds in Art and the American Women Artists Associate Online Shows.  Kim' art has been awarded Second Place in 2-D, Award of Merit, and America the Beautiful Signature Awards at Woman Artists of the West National Juried Shows, won a purchase award from the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum during the Artists for Conservation International Exhibit, received numerous Finalist and Meritorious awards in the Richeson75 International Animals, Birds & Wildlife Competitions, and recognition as FAV15% in multiple BoldBrush Online Art Competitions. Kim has been invited to show her work at the WAOW Invitational Art Exhibition and Sale at Woolaroc Museum and Wildlife Preserve and to participate in a delegation to represent the Artists for Conservation’s International Exhibit of Nature in Art in Qingdao, China where she exhibited a number of works. 

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Memberships:

American Women Artists - Associate with Distinction Membership

Artists For Conservation - Signature Membership

Oil Painters of America - Associate Membership

Woman Artist of the West - Signature Membership