Kim Lordier: 0:00

Just the important thing is to know that each one of our journeys is unique, and there's no one way through it, because there's your way, and it's not the same as anybody else's. And but I caution folks to really avoid climbing someone else's ladder. Relish your own climb, and don't be in a hurry to get to the top of your ladder, because that's when it's time to go perfect your golf swing and not your brush stroke.

Laura Arango Baier: 0:30

Welcome to the BoldBrush show where we believe that fortune favors the bold brush. My name is Laura Baier, and I'm your host. For those of you who are new to the podcast, we are a podcast that covers art marketing techniques and all sorts of business tips specifically to help artists learn to better sell their work. We interview artists at all stages of their careers, as well as others her in careers tied to the art world, in order to hear their advice and insights. For today's episode, we sat down with Kim Laurier, a California based pastel artist, mom and former flight attendant, whose deep love of nature and travel strongly influences her landscape work. She began drawing and painting animals as a child, started earning money from pet portraits as a teenager, and later experienced a major turning point in 2001 when she saw a plein air demonstration and committed to painting from life influenced by early California and American impressionists. Kim focuses on value shape and expressive color, and credits key workshops, especially learning notan and studying with mentors like skip Whitcomb for sharpening her compositional and color skills. She speaks candidly about her long standing struggles with negative self talk and imposter syndrome, and how learning to detach from the preciousness of finished paintings and embrace the process has been her biggest creative aha moment. On the business side, Kim emphasizes professionalism, honoring gallery relationships, and balancing what she loves to paint with what she sells, while accepting that each artist's journey and ladder is unique. She advises aspiring artists to trust their instincts, avoid unhealthy comparison and respect the people working behind the scenes in the art world, and remember, there is always another chemist to paint. Finally, she tells us all about her upcoming shows and workshops. Welcome Kim to the BoldBrush show. How are you today?

Kim Lordier: 2:13

I'm doing great. Thank you so much, Laura. I'm really honored to be here with you.

Laura Arango Baier: 2:19

Yeah, I'm excited to have you. I am so excited to pick your brain about your art, because I absolutely love your compositions so so much. And it actually, it's one of those things where you look at it and you're like, oh, man, this really makes me want to play. It makes me want to play with pastel. So bad, you know, coming, yeah. And that is so funny. Every pastel artist I've interviewed or talked to. They're always so encouraging about trying out the medium, because it really does look magical, even though the piece that you have behind you, I'm just obsessed with the movement of tone in the sky. I'm like, yes, thank you. This is amazing. Yeah. But before we dive in more deeply into your gorgeous compositions, do you mind telling us a bit about who you are and what you do.

Kim Lordier: 3:02

Sure, I'm a mom and a wife who probably thinks about values and color and light more than is socially acceptable. You know, when you're out and about and people are having a conversation and you're like staring at the, you know, the landscape, or whatever. So I wanted to be a horse trainer or a long haul trucker when I was little. I ended up being a flight attendant, which is kind of the same thing as a truck driver, only my cargo was people. I always been a road warrior. Loved to travel, particularly driving. When I was a youth. I traveled for horse shows and as a flight attendant, of course, flying around the country. And I love to drive for painting and art events, which kind of mean, a nutshell,

Laura Arango Baier: 4:01

yes, and you're an avid outdoor sleep as well, from what I've seen,

Kim Lordier: 4:05

yes, I love being outside. I love Mother Nature.

Laura Arango Baier: 4:08

Yeah, yes. And I can tell because it really shows through in your work to that love for capturing just how gorgeous things can be. You know, the especially your pieces that have to, like, have this gorgeous crystalline water. I'm so obsessed with those blues. I love it. Thank you so much. Welcome. Yeah, and actually, I really wanted to know because, you know, many artists tend to do this for a very long time. We tend to have started doing this since we were children. Do you mind telling us when you began to follow the path of the artist?

Kim Lordier: 4:45

Well, I think, like many of us, including yourself, we started really young. Yeah, I was always kind of doodling in school. And, you know, first got my first. Was drawing published in a newspaper in first grade, and that my parents kept around. I had no idea until probably a few years ago, and then in fifth grade, I won an award painting or drawing a shark of all things had been, you know, spending all my little younger years drawing horses and little girls and dresses. And I kind of find out, found out early on about a connection between creating and outside acknowledgement for good or bad. You know, you know, you get that response, and that's kind of a little bit of a dopamine rush in school when and when I was in high school, I started painting horses like with pastels. So I've been working with the pastel medium since I was 15, and I started doing horse and dog portraits at that age and for money. So I kind of had a taste of making money. And you know, when people would ask you to paint their horse, or that emotion that comes when they see it, you know, the painting, they're like some people will cry and, you know, get real excited. And that was a big, I don't know, just something that resonated with me. Then I became a flight attendant, and I was still doing the animal portraits. And then I found out, as a flight attendant, I wasn't really a natural nurturer, so I would find myself getting the service finished and then finding an empty seat or heading up to the cockpit to go hang out so I could look outside the window and see all the beautiful, beautiful land that we were traveling over, or going, You know, flying the all nighter from San Francisco to Boston, we go over the northern pole, or towards the northern North America. And you could see the, I just remember this one time when the Northern Lights were happening and the the ground was just covered in clouds and had these popcorn explosions of of it was a big, big storm all that covered the continent or that I could see in front of me. And so you could see these just lightning flashes. And then just as the sun was just starting to create a little bit of peak on the horizon, it was just the most magical time, one of my favorite times ever flying. But it clearly wasn't as in serving others that was, that was my, that wasn't my forte. So, yeah, then I think this journey that I'm on now really culminated in 2001 when right around that time I was just dabbling in painting landscapes from photographs, and I saw a woman give a plein air demonstration, and I it was the first time I really felt like I had to do that. You know, when I was when I studied in school, I studied commercial illustration, and I really felt less than and not. I wasn't competitive. I had no inner drive to pursue that way of working, and I wasn't very good at the illustration and the it was just a competitive field when I was in that was right as computers were starting to come into into play. And it's just a kind of an awkward way place for me. Anyway, I'm kind of jumping around here. So I had become a flight attendant, and 911 happened, and I saw this woman give a plein air demonstration. I knew in my in my gut, that I had to paint from start, painting from life. So I started taking a class from her in oil. I was still doing the animal portraits, and then I also, you know, as a flight attendant, I had the privilege of, you know, getting to see the louver and the Met and Boston Museum, and, you know, all these amazing museums. But I was really never, I loved what I saw, but was really never punched in the gut by a painting until I saw museum Oakland museum exhibition that featured the early California impressionists, and that's the first time i. Really was kind of floored, and kind of had the wind knocked out of me. This just was everything that, you know, I love, I'd love the illustrators, and looking at the illustrators, and, you know, the the impression of French Impressionists were, it was beautiful work. But the California impressionist and then my later study into more American impressionism really just grabbed hold of me, where there's a marriage of tone and value and shape along with broken color and the expressive brush work. And at that point in time, I, you know, I was certainly aware of Sergeant and soroya and Zorn and all those guys, but really hadn't taken it was just kind of early on in my my creative journey. And anyway, so all of that kind of culminated around 911 and started working from life, which was a game changer for me, and things really rapidly progressed from there in terms of, I would say, the quality of my work, my passion, the fact that I started feeling like I had an actual creative bone in my body. Instead of that, I was just able to copy, copy something.

Laura Arango Baier: 11:21

Yes, yeah. And those are all really important names, and I could totally see how that would affect your work, because I think there's something in your strokes. It's very it's expressionistic and impressionistic and abstract, which is very beautiful. I think some of my favorite paintings, you're welcome. So my favorite paintings of all time have always had a very wonderful element of abstraction, so that the eye itself can kind of like work alongside the piece to complete the image. You know, what might look up close like a little blurry thing from afar is a tree. You know, the eye says, Yeah, that's a tree. It's like, no, it's just a little abstract mark on the on the paper or on the canvas. And I think that's the magic, I think, in painting. And I wanted to ask you, because I think your compositions are so wonderful. I think anyone who goes and checks out your work should definitely study how you've laid out your values and how you've laid out your colors, because there is definitely a lot of knowledge that is obvious in your work. How would you say that you developed your skill in composition, you know, like the value composition, or actual physical laying out of the elements, color, composition. What helped you develop that skill?

Kim Lordier: 12:51

I think that the way I learned to see earlier on in my journey was I started studying plein air with this woman, and she was wonderful, and I was doing it in oil with her. And then I started painting this similarly with an underpainting process that I learned painting in oil from her with my pastels. Then I took a workshop with this gentleman by the name of John Barry Raybould, who created, after I took the in on location workshop, he created, he was in the process of creating the Virtual Art Academy, which is a great resource for folks. But he, during his workshop, I was painting in oil, and he kind of had this, you know, break you down before he builds you up, kind of way of working. And he taught us this, not amp process. And if you back in, back in that time, I didn't really hear the word notan before. And notan, for those who are not familiar with that, is a Japanese term that's loosely translated as black and white design. And he forced us to the first two full days of the workshop was creating notions with these pens, dark light, dark value, light value, and the middle value, and then the white of the paper. And we had to create compositions with that. And then we couldn't use any color, even when we were on the whole thing was plein air. So we were composing in black and white, and I really learned the value, ha, ha, of values. And it was, and it was, it was kind of tough, because he would give you gold stars for failing at things. Right? So he had a little sheet on every person that was taking the workshop, and you'd get a gold star for not doing well with understanding value or not understanding edges. And so I just remember, you know, feeling good when I when I got there, and then then quickly realizing that I kind of sucked at all this. But then you know, things you know, turned around. And it really, actually forced me to to really learn, instead of just kind of doing, just diving in and doing, and I think that was the biggest, the biggest thing. And then I kind of took that and started breaking apart. You know, my favorite artists work, living and deceased that way, and understanding that really simplifying shape and values had a great deal of impact from across the room. And that's kind of what I carry on in, how what I teach in during, you know, my workshops. And then, you know, just building on all of that that I learned really early on. And then, you know, my I took one workshop in pastel. I've only had about four or five over the course of my career that I've taken but my first workshop was with an amazing past Ellis and oil painter. His name is Lorenzo Chavez, and I remember going up to taking a five day workshop with him on location in Tucson. I'm from California, where it was all big oak, dark oak trees and dense shadows, and out in a Tucson desert, it was so aired, I felt like I was painting a Mars and had no relationship. So I really had to think about, instead of big, dark shapes, you know, how do you compose in terms of value, you know, in a higher key environment? And that kind of led me down a different path. And then a key layer in my journey was is continued to this day as Skip Whitcomb, who's a pasoli oil painter and a mentor, an amazing, gifted artist, and the most generous soul with His knowledge and he's had a I just recently, I think, you know, we never stopped learning. I just recently took a an online course with him called orchestrated color through the Tucson Art Academy, which has just been a tremendous joy for me to explore color. Color has always been very intuitive to me. I think color has been intuitively a strength of mine, that that I've always had fun with, but just actually learning more about color theory has been really a great asset and confidence builder, and has been really fun. We never stop learning. You know, continued, you know,

Laura Arango Baier: 18:29

yeah, exactly, yeah. I was literally going to say the same thing, how with any craft, it's, it's more than a lifetime of things to continue to learn and expand within. So I find that's one of the only reasons I would ever want to become a vampire, is to just have endless time to really hone a craft. Because even Michelangelo, when he was in his 80s, said, like, I'm finally learning, you know, like I'm getting somewhere, like, Oh no, don't say that. Yeah. And I really find it cool that your instructor would put a gold star for a failure. Because I think at first it can be kind of jarring. It was very Yeah, yeah, because I can imagine, it's like, congrats, you failed. It's like, Oh, thanks. But I think failure is so important. I think we all have such a negative view of it, and that's normal, I think because we are so used to the whole like being punished for failure, but in the sense of creative work, failure is so important. I think, yeah, you can't, you can't grow without messing it up, you know, like, and I think that's one of the hard parts about being a working artist as well, because you try to sell work, you know, you try to create things so that you can put it in a gallery, and then it goes to solve. One's home and it's loved forever. But I think in order to get to that point, you have, you know, a lot of artists, me included, of course, we have to accept that not every piece is going to be nice, but that piece will lead to a better piece, usually, hopefully, fingers crossed,

Kim Lordier: 20:17

yes, and sometimes it's, it's the pieces that we love the most, that receive the least amount of outside acknowledgement, or whatever you want to, but I found that the paintings that you know I that really have resonated during my journey have always been because, in hindsight, because I've learned something, I tried something new that I was happy with. You know, it was had it was kind of successful in in my eyes, but really in the larger picture scheme of things, that was why I loved it was because I learned something, and I'm like, Hey, I got, you know, I just added another tool to my toolbox. But that doesn't necessarily mean it's a good painting or a solid painting, so I've kind of had to learn that,

Laura Arango Baier: 21:12

yeah, yeah. And I think that's also why there's a bit of a balance, I don't know if you've experienced this too, where, when you make a painting, sometimes, especially, I think, I think it especially happens for the rest of one's life, which is, you start a painting and you think, this is the one, this is going to be a masterpiece. Or, like, you feel like you have this like, Oh, I'm totally going to make this amazing. And then, of course, you get shot down by the reality, which is, it's always a work in progress. You know, your works develop as much as you continue to develop as a person and as a crafts person as well. And yeah, it just the quicker you can understand that as you know, as an artist, one can understand it as an artist, the better it is. Because, like you said, you might have these exercise pieces or these pieces that you know you were hoping would be a masterpiece, but instead they were a lesson. And it's so beautiful to have those lessons and to look back, you're like, Man, I, as much as I suffered through this painting. And I think that's one of those things where, like you really do suffer as an artist. So sometimes you just, you suffer so much through your work, but then once it's over, and you can set it aside, and you look back on it, it's like, Man, I overcame this. And I think that's, that's the part that I've also been trying to really focus on when I'm doing a really difficult piece or trying to overcome a really difficult problem is I find more satisfaction in solving and overcoming now than I used to before. I don't know if you relate to that. Yes, it's less satisfying now to actually get it right the first time.

Unknown: 22:58

Yes, I agree. I

Laura Arango Baier: 23:01

agree, yeah. And I wanted to ask you now, because it kind of ties in really well with asking you about if you've had any recent aha moments, or if you have you had like, a like, what's your biggest aha moment that you've had over your creative work?

Kim Lordier: 23:20

I think the biggest aha moment i I've had was when I gave up. I gave up worrying about the end result or the finished product, when I took the preciousness out of what I do and realize that it's really, truly about the process that gives me the greatest joy. It's the doing of it, the being there, that that zen like state that you end up in when the whole world goes away and you're one with your pigments. I mean, that's really cool. And you know, when I when I gave that up, when I gave up the feeling that I had to create a painting, I realized that there's always another canvas to fill. There's always another piece of paper to have. And, you know, I think I mentioned this to you before, like, knock on wood, you know, if I were to have a studio fire or something catastrophic happen to my beautiful space that I love to be in, I think I'd be, I mean, it would be horrible, you know. And I know this has happened to people, but I just know that I have the capacity of creating more, and that is a beautiful thing to be able to sit with, but I don't wish that upon anybody or you know that's not what I'm trying to get at after here, but it's just. That I love the doing. I love being out on location with my feet, my toes sunk in the sand and while I'm painting at the beach, or, you know, having climbed in, you know, miles up into the Eastern Sierras to to go paint with my friends. And there's just nothing greater than that for me, other than being a mom and a wife, of course, you know,

Laura Arango Baier: 25:29

yeah, totally Yeah. It's living in the moment and just experiencing life, you know,

Unknown: 25:34

yeah, yeah.

Laura Arango Baier: 25:37

Because I mean, oh yeah, go for it, yeah.

Kim Lordier: 25:39

Sorry. I had one more thing that was kind of an aha moment on a different scale, or on a different in a different way. I had great advice early on in my career from John Stern, who is the Director Emeritus of the Irvine Museum in Southern California. And I remember, I'm from Northern California in the San Francisco Bay Area. And I remember, you know, traveling down So Cal to go see an exhibition of the early California impressionist which is his one of his fortes, and what the museum, you know, their permanent collection, has an amazing early California Impressionist Collection. I remember, I met him really early on in my career, and he became, he became a mentor and a great supporter of my work. He, he and his beautiful wife, Linda, purchased one of my paintings and or, and they became collectors. Anyway, I remember he took me around and talked to me about the the current show that was up. And then we went back to his office, and we were just chatting. And I, you know, being a past Ellis at that point in time, you know, I kind of had that wiffle waffle, and I asked them, you know, John, should I be painting an oil to be considered a real artist? I know my friends are going to roll their eyes at this. And and he goes, Kim, you know you're doing beautiful work. And make your mark. Make your mark in your medium. And it was, it was great, great. Very sounded advice. And I took that and rolled with it, and that was that was amazing. And one other thing that an art kind of an AHA thing that helps me move me forward through my journey, was I was also kind of lamenting the fact that our art community up here, at least for representational art, is not as prolific as the community is in Southern California, in my opinion. And I, you know, I remember saying to him, I wish, I wish I lived down there so I could be, you know, closer to the things that are, you know, the events and the people and stuff like that. He goes, Don't be in a hurry. Or it was more than that. It was also, you know, being represented by galleries and about getting into bigger shows. You know that that hunger that we have as when we're young and, you know, wanting to climb a proverbial ladder, and he told me, he says, Don't be, don't be in a hurry for what you think you really want, because that journey leads to, you know, galleries and shows and deadlines leads to time away for the the creative process of experimenting. And you know that that giving yourself time and grace to go play. And that's that's a whole journey in of itself, and and that really resonated with me, and I've tried very hard to keep my creative process separate from my marketing and business side of what I do, I think that keeping those things separate, I mean, they truly overlap, but keeping them separate as as much as you possibly can is really, really important. And I appreciate John for his advice way back then, because it's really helped. I think stabilize. That doesn't mean it's gone away. You know that balance is, you know, tough,

Laura Arango Baier: 29:45

yeah, yeah. And I love that you mentioned that, because I've also heard that that piece of advice, which I've heard a couple people say, it is, enjoy your anonymity, yeah, especially at the beginning. As an artist, I think it's also in reference to anyone who's in a creative career, because early on, you're not tied down by anything like you said. You're not tied down by deadlines or by the calendar or by the 20 workshops that you might have signed up to teach out of excitement, and before you realize it, it's, you know, it's been a year or two or three, and you feel like, oh, man, I haven't really advanced in in my creative work, right? Like it's so important, like you said, to have that compartmentalization where, like, you know, you can schedule your experimental work because it and that kind of reminds me of this thing, which is like, there's things, especially, like you said, you know, when you're early in your career and you're hungry, right? As an artist, there's the things we think we want, and then there's the thing we the things we actually want, right? So, and sometimes we don't realize it, right? We don't realize that the thing we actually want is to just keep creating. And we think we want gallery representation. And this actually leads perfectly into my next question about, you know, having this, I like to call it a Venn diagram, like I mentioned to you before, where we have the Venn diagram of what you want to paint and what sells. And then, for some people, the crossover between those two circles might be really, really narrow, and for some people, it might almost be a complete circle. How do you balance for yourself, creating the work that you want to create, and creating the work that will sell?

Kim Lordier: 31:39

Well, I feel really blessed that I still am passionate and love to paint mother nature in all her glory. So it feels natural to continue to feed the folks who run the amazing galleries that I'm in with the work that inspires me. I I feel extremely fortunate that, I mean, I'm one of my most spiritual places to be is Point Lobos in Carmel, or just south of Carmel, California. It's along the California coast, and I've been represented by two amazing galleries down there, and Jim reserve fine art, who closed his doors because he retired a few a few years ago. And then I'm now down there with Laura Lai and at Carmel fine art, and I've always known that if and when that area doesn't speak to anymore, then I know I have to part ways, because, you know that's what they want. And our gallery owners that represent us, you know, they have their own esthetic vision and what's important to them. So I feel blessed that, you know, that's been a place that I revisit over and over again, that that whole, our whole coastline and the California landscape. So you know, that is, that has been, that has been the easy part. I think a difficult part for me has been, you know, when I travel outside my state and am so inspired by the landscape and the environment and the people, and I'm blessed to be in a few galleries outside my state, in Montana, at alume Gallery, and in Colorado at Wild Horse. And you know, trying to stay true to their vision and and you know, keeping my best work, you know, for them, they all want your best work, and it's, you know, we don't always have, we don't always have our very best work available, because we're still working so hard to to get to that point. I guess I think that. I think the takeaway is respecting your galleries and respecting the folks that run them, because they have their own vision. And if you're if you're not willing to compromise, I don't happen to be in a position where I could just dictate what it is that I want to paint. I and you know, if you're in that position, you know, with somebody representing you, oh, and my Hughes Skelly gallery too, down in Balboa Island, you. They all have their own vision. So if you don't resonate with what they're wanting, then it's time to be professional and excuse yourself or have that conversation with you know, are you? Are you willing to carry some something else that I'm Are you willing to try something new with my work? You know, have the conversation and and being open and professional with them is really important.

Laura Arango Baier: 35:28

At BoldBrush, we inspire artists to inspire the world, because creating art creates magic, and the world is currently in desperate need of magic. BoldBrush provides artists with free art, marketing, creativity and business ideas and information. This show is an example. We also offer written resources, articles and a free monthly art contest open to all visual artists. We believe that fortune favors the bold brush, and if you believe that too, sign up completely free at BoldBrush show.com that's B, O, L, d, b, r, U, S, H, show.com the BoldBrush show is sponsored by Faso. Now, more than ever, it's crucial to have a website when you're an artist, especially if you want to be a professional in your career. Thankfully, with our special link, faso.com, forward slash podcast, you can make that come true and also get over 50% off your first year on your artist website. Yes, that's basically the price of 12 lattes in one year, which I think is a really great deal, considering that you get sleek and beautiful website templates that are also mobile friendly, e commerce, print on demand in certain countries, as well as access to our marketing center that has our brand new art marketing calendar. And the art marketing calendar is something that you won't get with our competitor. The art marketing calendar gives you, day by day, step by step, guides on what you should be doing today right now in order to get your artwork out there and seeing by the right eyes so that you can make more sales this year. So if you want to change your life and actually meet your sales goal this year, then start now by going to our special link, faso.com forward slash podcast, that's faso.com forward slash podcast.

Unknown: 37:08

I don't know if I actually answered your question.

Laura Arango Baier: 37:12

Oh, you did. I think, I think you definitely did. Okay, good. Because, you know, I've heard a lot of artists refer to like relationships of galleries, almost like a marriage or a very, very long term friendship that you have to nurture. And you know, sometimes you have to part ways, or sometimes you have to grow together. And I think that's a very important, like I said, important conversation to have, because as artists, we're not just like for the most part. We're not just this stagnant brand, right? We're humans who are continuing to grow, and maybe at one point you're exploring a particular type of subject matter, and then suddenly, as time goes on, you realize, man, I really want to explore this other subject matter, but this gallery in particular, I'm afraid that maybe they won't take a risk on this new subject matter. Or, you know, how do I discuss it with them? Should I find another gallery for this other subject matter? Because there's also, like, I think many of us artists, we're lucky, of course, because I mean living from making beautiful paintings is it's an incredible blessing. So you know, to maintain that blessing, you also have to realize when you don't want it to become laborious, in the same sense that you know, if you're going to suffer through forcing yourself to do something the same way you would an office job, you might as well get an office job. Because, yeah, at least the office job gives you a an actual paycheck in a constant manner. Yes, which is very rough when you're an artist. Trying to go at it. So, yeah, there's a bit of a balance. And then if you can, like, you said, if there's a way to make it more enjoyable for yourself or your painting, like, I've heard artists say, like, yeah, you know, I stick to the to, you know, figuring out the stuff that I want to do. And then the gallery says, Hey, can you paint us three more sunsets? I will do it because I know it gives me the paycheck that I need to be able to sit and continue with my experimental work. So it's, yeah, it's a balance, hopefully, like I said, that Venn diagram is just a circle, though, for a lot of people, right? But when it isn't, you got to find ways to supplement, and that's just the, you know, tough part of being an artist, unless you're a ridiculously wealthy person already, you know,

Unknown: 39:52

that would be okay. Oh, that'd be great.

Laura Arango Baier: 39:54

Yeah. I would just paint whatever the heck I want and start my own gallery.

Kim Lordier: 40:00

It. Be careful starting your own gallery. That's a

Laura Arango Baier: 40:03

lot of work. Girl, yes, it is. Yeah. Okay, there you go. I would totally hire people. Oh, man, but I wanted to ask you now, since we're on a little bit more of the topic of business, when you were still a flight attendant, right? What was that like for you when you decided to shift over to your creative work? What was that like for you?

Kim Lordier: 40:34

It was, I mean, the whole world, and most particularly the United States, you know, there, there was a catastrophic, catastrophic event that happened. And the decision was not difficult. It was like, you know, I, I mentioned earlier, I'm not a natural nurturer. I was, I ended up being a flight attendant because I'm very grateful that my dad was is a right retired captain for a major airline, and when I got out of school, that I'm so thankful that they were able to help me get through college. You know, I flew for the about 12 years. And then 911 happened. And you know, that was, that was a wake up call for a lot of people, the horror of it, and then the Life is short, part of and I, I don't even want to say this, but the the silver lining around such a horrible event was such that the I went back and flew for about the month of October, after they let that the airs that planes back up In the air, and nobody was flying, and the the airline said, Hey, we're asking for volunteer furloughs. And I raised my hand because I wasn't going to lose any seniority, nor was I going to lose my medical benefits. I was going to lose a paycheck, or I lost it pay my paycheck. But it was an opportunity to see if I could do this full time, and I did, and I've never looked back, and I'm so grateful for the the opportunities that have come my way since since then but it was, it was, it was a safety net and so that that's kind of how that that happened for me. I just, I made the choice and never looked back, because, and I feel strongly, you know that you know we are meant to go down a path and the doors open when you know when they're supposed to So,

Unknown: 43:13

anyway, so that's, that's it was. It was quick. And fast is what it was.

Laura Arango Baier: 43:18

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I mean, sometimes life can be that way. It really becomes a moment where you have this very obvious turning point where it's like, it's now or never. Because, like you said, Life is short. You never know, yeah, what's going to happen tomorrow? We can, we can think that tomorrow's sunrise is, you know, short for us. But it's not always the case, and I feel the same way, you know, I try to be like, is this an opportunity that if I don't take it, I'll regret forever? If the answer is yes, I'm just going to do it right, yeah? Because yeah, like we said earlier, you only live once, and you got to take that opportunity, if it's the one that you think is right for you. I'm guessing though, that in that time when you were furloughed, you just focused on making work. Did you also focus like, did you already have galleries that you were talking to or were working with? Or did you have to rebuild that and like, No,

Kim Lordier: 44:19

make right around. Yes, sorry for talking right around that time, it was a lot of things happened all at the same time I mentioned earlier, you know, I saw that the early California Impressionists started painting, painting from life in, you know, 2009 11 happened, and I was, had already been in my first I was invited to be in a cooperative Gallery, and so I was kind of seeing what that what that felt like being in a gallery. You know, when I was I've never. Pre that as a goal to be in galleries. I didn't have a clear vision of what my creative journey was going to be like, you know, moving forward. And so I was, I was already in the Portola Art Gallery at that time, and shoot, I forgot what your question was.

Laura Arango Baier: 45:24

If you know you're good, it's only if you continued, or, like, when you were furloughed, how you managed to, like, you know, get back into or, like, start working with galleries and like, oh,

Kim Lordier: 45:33

right, right. Okay, yeah, yeah. Thank you for the the prompt we let's see, started working from life to 2001 2002 you know, I'm learning my craft and working, or being in the involved with that gallery, and then I end up getting pregnant. And then my very first, my very first plenary event was Carmel fine art, and I was six months pregnant, and I remember slipping around out in Carmel in the sand dunes with my big belly and my art gear and painting and it was a great experience. And I continued to do plenary events, which is kind of how I got my voice, my work out there, and the galleries I had, I just had I've been so blessed my gallery in Carmel. Jim approached me during an event down in the Laguna, Laguna planer painters Invitational, way back in 2005 he goes, I really love your work, Kim. And would you be interested in me representing you up in Carmel? And so, you know, I ended up there bringing him a body of work, and so that, that has been a blessing. Gosh darn it. I forgot what the what your question was. Again,

Laura Arango Baier: 47:21

backwards. And 10 in time, you're good, you're good. It's, yeah, it's just how you built up, you know, your art career after, yeah, yeah.

Kim Lordier: 47:29

So it's been, it was, you know, I think, you know, between the galleries that have been so kind to represent me and the shows that I've been a part of, I've been part of, I think, like a lot of us, throwing my work out there to see what sticks, I started regionally or locally, and then regionally and then nationally. And I with the pastel medium. We have these societies that are we have societies around the world, and like California has four or five pastel societies, maybe four, and almost every state has one. And so they're a great resource, a great uplifting organizations to help you know, putting on shows so my dealers and shows that I've participated in over the years have been kind of my access to a collector, a collector base, and that's probably that's been my way of moving through this. And I know for each one of us, you me, you know my friends, people that are who maybe listening to this, just the important thing is to know that each one of our journeys is unique, and there's no one way through this, because there's there's just, there's Your Way, and it's not the same as anybody else's. And I gave a lecture a long time ago at a convention, and I talked about climbing the proverbial ladder, you know, where shows, awards, articles, gallery, representation, name, branding, notoriety. Those are, those are the rungs of the ladder that we kind of, you know, want to climb so that we get our work out there and create collector base and the out that outside acknowledgement of our work again. Remember I said earlier that keeping that separate from your creative side is really important, but I caution folks to really avoid climbing someone else's ladder. Relish your own climb, and don't be in a hurry to get. The top of your ladder, because that's when it's time to go perfect your golf swing and not your brush stroke. That's so corny.

Laura Arango Baier: 50:10

Oh no, but it's, can't believe I said that, and it's a great point. I think it's, I think I was mentioning this earlier too, like, how, ah, you know, there's something about making work that also speaks to yourself, right? It's the work that you care about. Because if you're painting, you know, someone else's work, right, you're imitating someone else, which is totally fine. I mean, we all start with imitation, to some extent. That's how we learn to write, that's how we learn language and art being a language, that's how we learn to paint and express ourselves. But if that's all you're doing, using climbing someone else's ladder, you're setting yourself up for failure. I mean, yeah, there's, after so many years of betraying yourself like that, right? Betraying the actual deep message, the ones that come through, you're gonna feel empty. You're gonna feel you know, it's, it's inevitable, because it's not your dream, right?

Kim Lordier: 51:16

And and also, climbing summit, I think, I think about climbing somebody else's ladder is where it's more about comparing your journey to somebody else's, where you see somebody being real successful, and you get frustrated because you're not climbing the rungs the same way as that other person. And so being aware that it's, it's your own journey that is that you need to just to stay in and relish and I think, yeah, no, it's your personal ladder to climb, not not somebody else's, and to do your best to keep the comparison out of it, because it's so easy to compare. And you know, if you're not getting into shows and you're not getting acknowledgement, that doesn't mean that your work's bad, awful or a failure, it just means that that's just somebody else's opinion, and the most important opinion is how you feel about your own process. The takeaway, I think, is that if you're not in love with your own process, then none of the rest of it matters, not the likes, not the hearts, not the followers. None of that matters if you don't love what you're doing, and it's doesn't necessarily mean that you have to follow the path of how you see somebody else, quote, unquote, making it, because you also don't know what's behind the scenes of that artist's dialog that they say to themselves, that's a whole nother thing. You know your internal dialog that happens? You know, I have a lot of negative dialog that has run throughout my journey, and that whole feeling of that imposter syndrome, too is a big has been run all through and still does to this day, little little devil on my shoulder that I'm like That flick off, you know?

Laura Arango Baier: 53:18

Yeah, exactly, yeah, yeah, totally. And that's why, you know, it's if you have the devil on one side right, telling you all these horrible things, which most of us artists do, it's better to just, like, go listen to the other side, little angel on the other side, and, like, try to pay attention to that a little bit more. You know, to some extent, it is good to be aware of where you can improve, but not to the point where you're crying yourself to sleep every night. Absolutely, yeah, and I love that you mentioned, you know, not, not chasing someone else's, you know, like level of success, or how quickly they've ascended, because that's just their path. You know, you can't, yeah, sometimes life will throw you into an even more amazing path than you can ever imagine. And that's why to it, yes, yeah, you have to stay open to that. Yeah, stay receptive and open, because you like a little bit like I said earlier, there's what you think you want, and then there's life surprising you with something even more grand or something even more magical that like you're, I don't know, 1820, year old self could never have imagined. Because life, of course, continues and keeps going and going. And when you think you've seen it all, and you think you know it all, it surprises you again with something even nicer and even more amazing, truth. Yeah, true, yeah. And actually, I did also want to ask you, since we're on the topic of, you know, like, some of the difficulties of being an artist, besides, you know, the creative aspect, financial aspect, and. What do you what would you say is one of the hardest things about being a full time artist that no one really talks about.

Kim Lordier: 55:08

Um, all I can speak is for from my own journey, and we've already, kind of, I already touched upon it, and that's been a, you know, an a negative internal dialog that I've, I've battled since, you know, since college, I remember, you know, I studied commercial illustration, and I cut my way through classes because I never felt good enough. And it was very competitive. There was a lot of in a lot of ways, you know, what I felt? It doesn't necessarily mean it was actually what was happening, but it's how I felt. But the you know, the harsh critiques, the never feeling like I could draw well enough, like comparing myself to the other people around me. It was a and that I built on that, and still to this day, I kind of battle with that. You know, not again. It's the comparing that is always going to take, tear you down. It's not going to keep you, it's not going to it's not going to allow you to rise up. So, you know that imposter syndrome? You know, when the successes that I've been truly, amazingly Blessed with over the years in my journey, I've had some, you know, some wonderful things happen. And basil, you're like, Is it for real? You know, did you know that I just, Is that for real? You know? And it still amazes me, you know, today, when something beautiful happens, such as this conversation that we're I'm allowed to have with you and share my journey with you and whoever's maybe listening, I remember, Oh, back, I don't know, 10 years ago or so, I was been part of a major national Show, and the curator of the show is she, what is, is a force and an amazing woman in her own right. But I remember her sharing with me, you know, bring me something different, send me something different than what you normally do. This is, this is a place to try something new, and then she invited me to channel another artist's work, and it threw me for a loop. And it really tapped into she had no idea. She had no clue, but it tapped me into, like, a couple year, I don't know, sadness wrapped around what I was doing in that I it tapped into all the negative things that I've been saying about myself, to myself quietly, that I wasn't good enough, that I needed to do things differently. I needed to paint differently, be somebody else I wasn't good enough, that she never said that, but that's she just pushed that that trigger for me, and it took me a couple of years, really, to get out of it. And funny enough, she's the same person that I had a conversation with, and I call it my vomitus interruptus moment, where I was talking to her on the phone. She lived in a different state. For me, I had one of those not pouring out of my nose, hiccuping crying sessions on the phone with this professional woman. I can't believe I'm sharing this with you guys, with you. And she literally said, Kim, I'm clearing my desk for me, for you right now, because I was just like beside myself, and I let it all out, all the insecurities, all the blah, blah, blah, blah. And it just was a cathartic moment and and it was amazing that happened with the same person who, who was slightly the devil on my shoulder, you know, even though she had no idea until then, anyway. And it was a it was all me. It had nothing to do with her. It had nothing to do with her. It was all my all my shit. Use my language, but that's the truth. Sorry for my potty mouth, yeah.

Laura Arango Baier: 59:51

Oh no, you're good. You're good. It is warranted. It does feel that way, and I relate so hard to that I think I've. Had much like you. You know, those moments of mirroring my own pain, suffering and security onto someone else who really reflects it very clearly, even though they don't realize it. I've also had those moments, and they become almost like a symbol for that pain and that frustration. And of course, I've also had my breakdowns about it because it I think one of the hard things too about being an artist is sometimes like, again, you think you want something, and then turns out the thing you actually want has to kind of like surface over time, and I felt that way very much about going to academic school, where I always tried so so hard to fit in. I tried so hard to, you know, fit in with my peers and be admired also by my peers. And it just never freaking worked. And it came to the point where I realized, man, I you know, it's like a square peg in a round hole. You know, there comes a point where you just can't force yourself to fit into a mold that just isn't for you. And the quicker you realize, man, important, yeah, I need to just let myself use these tools that I've gained from, you know, learning these skills, and apply them in a way that makes me happy, and get myself out of this bubble that I've decided I should fit into, right? And that's been the hardest thing to deal with. And I, you know, here in your your experience, it's like off, man, I resonate so hard with that little devil. Yeah, oh, you'll, you'll never be able to do this. Or, Oh, you keep failing at this one thing that all your peers can do already. Or, like, you know, just stuff like that.

Kim Lordier: 1:01:53

Yeah, yes. Oh, stop it. You said, stop it. There's that I just have to share this really quickly. I was working on a lecture that I had mentioned earlier, and I had a friend, Susan, who was helping me along with it. She was she'd kind of edit and stuff like that. And so self I've had to work on being less self deprecating verbally and also saying apologizing for everything, which is kind of a thing that I've done forever. I'm so much better at it. But Susan helped me, because she made me listen to this Bob Newhart one of his comedy sessions where he's a psychiatrist, and for those folks who are listening to this and you have if, if you find yourself apologizing or consistently or being self deprecated, or find something that you're repeating that drives yourself Crazy, check out his episode called stop it because it is hilarious. And the stop it is a is a term or a phrase that I now use for myself to help, help me stop it. I promise you guys,

Laura Arango Baier: 1:03:20

yeah, no, I'm gonna link it into the show notes. So are very other listeners might also check it out. I think it's so funny because I didn't realize that you were gonna say stop it, and I was literally just saying, like, stop it. So now I want to watch it so I can Yeah, it's hilarious. Yeah, that's a

Kim Lordier: 1:03:41

great way to reinforce that. And it's, you know, psychologically, it shuts the brain down. You know, when you say, stop it, you're, you know, it's like, it's like, it stops that cycle.

Laura Arango Baier: 1:03:53

So, yeah, yeah, because it's so easy to just get caught in that loop, yeah, it just repeats itself, yeah. And then it feeds itself too, which is awful. It's why it's so hard to break it. But yeah, totally. I know you've also given a ton of advice here, but do you have any final advice for someone out there who wants to make a living for being an artist?

Kim Lordier: 1:04:17

Um, I guess I have a couple things that I'd like to share, if that's okay. I think, I think it's super, super important to be professional in every element of the business side of what we do. I know that's pretty silly to say, but having been on the receiving end of shows, and, you know, doing a little bit of volunteer work that I have done, and realizing that people don't read their prospectuses all the way through and follow. Follow. You know what's going to help the volunteers and the folks behind the scene that are working their tails off for you to submit your painting to a show. Just so always read and follow your prospect prospectuses. Honor the deadlines. Don't be one of those that don't be an artist cat where you have to be chased down to get what the folks that are working hard need to get to put the show on. I recommend be proactive about pursuing your own like articles. I was the my very first article that I had in the pastel journal, which is when I was pregnant or had just had Ryan, was came from me, because at that point, I'm so old that people weren't writing about motherhood and being artists, that you wouldn't find articles like that in magazines. And I approached the editor and asked if we could do, if there could be a, you know, an article written about, you know, being pregnant or and she, like, grabbed it. She said, Yeah, let's do it. And so I was able to kind of be a part of my first article. So know that if you have an idea or you're seeing something that's important to you, that's not being written about, it's fair game to go approach an editor or say, Hey, I've got this idea. Write it yourself. The new ideas are always out are always out there. So again, respect the volunteers working behind the scenes. You know, I think you mentioned, you know, how to approach galleries and stuff like that. That's a hard, kind of a hard thing. I've been very fortunate to have not really had to go down that path yet. I'm sure that will, that will happen in my future, but I think it's things are so much different now. You know, going in with a portfolio, and assuming that there's so many artists out there now and so few galleries, and they're closing fast that you know, if you find a space that you really want to be a part of, go be a part of the community. First, go introduce yourself to the gallery and get to know what the space is all about. And for every individual artist out there, there's an individual, individual gallery owner who has their own creative vision, and it doesn't always mean that your work is going to fit in with their space. They'll get to know what that is. And I have kind of some personal advice, especially now, our world is constantly changing, and I feel very strongly that happen. Happiness comes from within. It doesn't come from likes or hearts or your followers. And I, I think it's so important to trust your instincts, your instincts as they will lead to solid work that will then lead to doors opening down the path that you are meant to walk, not somebody else. And I think I said it earlier, but remember that there's always another canvas to paint on.

Laura Arango Baier: 1:08:44

Yes, yes, I'm so so so happy that you mentioned trusting yourself, because that really ties into everything that we've been talking about. Because even just like you said, you know, if you lost everything in a fire, you have to trust that all of the work that you've done, it wasn't just a fluke, right? It came from you, and you can do it again. And building that self trust is so important as an artist is trusting that, hey, I can figure this out. I might not know what the heck is going on? I might not know what the problem is right now, but I can trust my my skills and myself and what I'm capable of to figure it out, because Absolutely, that's all you can really do. Yeah, absolutely won't have all the answers, but you can try darn hard to try to get them. Yeah, and then I wanted to ask you also, because I absolutely love your work, and I think you know anyone out there should go check it out. Do you have any upcoming exhibitions or shows or workshops that you would like to tell us about?

Kim Lordier: 1:09:58

Sure, let's see. I. I will be I just finished teaching a workshop couple weeks ago. I do about two a year, maybe sometimes three, but my next workshop will be in Boise, Idaho, and the end of September, beginning of October, and it's through the pastel society of the West Coast. I'm really excited to get up in that neck of the woods and and play, and then I'll be judging. There's a plein air event in Eagle, Idaho that I'll be judging. That event kind of during the same time. I've got an upcoming show that I'm very honored to be a part of in Ojai, California. It's called Ojai Ojai Mystique at the Ojai Valley Museum, and there's 19 nationally renowned artists that'll be that'll have a major studio piece and a planar piece, and that's going to be this coming April. I think it opens the 17th and runs through the beginning of August. I think I am brand new and very excited and truly honored to be part of the planner painters of America. They're one of the first pioneer painting groups in the United States, and they're having a show at the Thunderbird foundation of arts in Mount Carmel, Utah, called Heart of America. And it's let me see my notes. I wrote the notes down here, coast to coast, inspiration from America's premier outdoor painting group, and that'll be in May, and opens the 15th at the Maynard Dixon Gallery and studio. And then excited to be going back there again for a show in September with my wild women group. I'm part of seven other amazing women artists. We had a dynamite show that opened last summer at a loom gallery in Montana, and now we're going to have our second show at the Maynard Dixon Gallery and studio with my my buddies. I'm going to list them, Shannon Coots, Elizabeth Robbins, Laurie McNee, Stephanie, marzella, Cindy Baier and Ramona youngquist. And I think most of them have Faso websites, so we can find, if I say their names, you can find them on Fine Art Studio online, and, yeah, I'm represented in with my glorious I galleries in Carmel at Carmel fine art, Hugh Skelly gallery in bellboy Island, which is in California, Holton frames and studio, which is in Berkeley, California, wild horse gallery in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, ILLUM gallery West in Montana, and the Thunderbird Foundation for the Arts in Mount Carmel, Utah, that's a lot.

Laura Arango Baier: 1:13:29

Yeah, work, yeah, yes. And then, do you mind telling us what your website is?

Kim Lordier: 1:13:37

Oh, yes. It's way too long to spell out, but it's my maid, my my maiden name and my married name. It's Kim Fancher laurier.com and it takes you to the Fine Art Studio Online website that I have. But if you just Google my name, Kim Lordy, a because of Faso, it comes right to the top of of the of the the search engine, which I'm really grateful and then I'm on Instagram and Facebook. Instagram's K Laurier art, and then Facebook is, I think, Kim dot Laurier. So there you have it. Awesome.

Laura Arango Baier: 1:14:20

Yeah. Well, I will also be including all your links in the show notes so people can check out your gorgeous work. And of course, if they watch the video, they will see how beautiful your work is. And I'm so grateful to have had you on the show. Kim, thank you so so much.

Kim Lordier: 1:14:34

Thank you for having me, Laura. I really I'm very honored and appreciate this time and the opportunity, and I'm excited for your personal journey down your creative path. So thank you for sharing a tiny bit of that with me, of

Laura Arango Baier: 1:14:50

course, and thank you for being, honestly, a lot of inspiration that I think I really needed so good. Yeah. Thank you to everyone out there for listening to the podcast. Your continued support means a lot to us. If you've enjoyed the episode, please leave a review for the podcast on Apple podcast Spotify, or leave us a comment on YouTube. This helps us reach others who might also benefit from the excellent advice that our guests provide. Thank you.