Art Gallery

Kim Schmitt Thomas was born in 1970 in the Hell’s Kitchen area of NYC to two young actors, then later raised in nearby Bergen County, NJ, where she currently resides with her 9 year old twin girls, Dylan and Layla. Her early childhood was often spent drawing caricatures of flamboyant dancers and actors in theatre wings and dressing rooms, after being inspired by an Al Hirschfeld drawing of her mom, Lee Meredith, in The Sunshine Boys. She also spent many afternoons studying graffiti covered billboards on the streets of NYC while bar hopping for Shirley Temples with her babysitter, a retired longshoreman named Pat Flannery. Those colorful early years, along with her own extensive training in dance, acting, and illustration have had a great influence on the active and dynamic line quality and use of vibrant color that moves throughout her work. Whether she is painting abstracts, faces, or twisted and intertwined figures, Kim’s work celebrates everyday life with all its twists and turns, ups and downs, joy and pain. In the late 80s, Kim majored in Illustration at the University of Bridgeport, and then Montclair State University, but she will admit that her best education as an expressive painter came simply from a lifetime of self-reflection and an enthusiasm to share her story while living and painting her truest life. Kim also attended the 2 year performing arts academy, The Neighborhood Playhouse, NYC, where she received rigorous training in acting and dance, while freelancing as an illustrator. Kim also worked as an interior artist/muralist for many years, but since 2001, she has focused primarily on her studio work, which is her main passion. Currently, Kim works full time as the in-house artist at hOMe Store, 1083 Goffle Rd, Hawthorne, NJ. She can be found there most days working in her studio where visitors are always welcome to stop by to see her works in progress or just strike up a conversation about life and art. Kim is also represented by Barsky Gallery of Hoboken, NJ, CINQ Gallery, in Dallas, TX., The Art Collective Gallery in Rogers, AR, and also exhibits at Glen Hansen Studios in Southold, NY. Kim’s work hangs in both private and corporate collections across the country, and has been featured in (201) Magazine, The Bergen Record, The New York Times, Dallas Style & Design Magazine.