Saturday I took a beautiful drive to Hana to one of my favorite representing galleries, Hana Coast Gallery. My mission was deliver all new art to freshen up the spring collection! Always a joy to see gallery Director Alesiamae (photographed below) Next time you're in Hana, be sure to stop by the Hana Coast Gallery to check out all the amazing local artists.
Kim celebrates the sea in her artwork, and defends it in the many environmental organizations she actively participates in. She has donated some of her finest work for to help these groups raise funds through silent (and not-so-silent) auctions and other art-related activities.
Some of her current beneficiaries are The Waterkeeper Alliance, Surf Riders, and (pictured here) the first Annual “Water/Wo/Men” Event In Support of Global Water Conservation at Six Senses Laamu . At their gathering in the Maldives, Kim created an art surfboard which was signed onsite by the well-known attendees and then auctioned off, fetching a handsome donation for Water/Wo/Men's mission. The art of giving, personified!
Helena Christensen
Bethany Hamilton
Layne Beachley and Kate Bosworth
Kim getting artsy with the Maldives children
Phillipe Cousteau and Daryl Hannah
Julia and Kim_ Mama's
Kim and Liz _ Mamas
Trey and Patrick
I love going to Mama's Fish House with my cherished collectors after visiting my studio showroom in Sprecklesville. Mama's is an iconic restaurant on the North shore of Maui with fabulous food and even more fabulous staff. I highly suggest dining at Mama's while visiting Maui, you won't be disappointed.
I had the honor of painting a couple surfboards for professional waterman Kai Lenny. Photographed below is Kai with his gun board with his custom red shark I designed, this board he rode while surfing JAWS at Peahi, one of the biggest breaks in the world.
Ever since my first visit to Tahiti I have been in love and infatuated with black Tahitian pearls. My favorite pearl designer is Jess from St. Bart's who sells her beautiful designs all over the world and at the cute Paia boutique called Imrie.
Some of you may remember a few years ago when I brought my tribal surfboard art onto towels and other beach lifestyle products, starting the launch of KAIKIMBA. One of the most exciting parts of that whole new venture was the photoshoot. Seeing artists work with one another and collaborate with each other is exhilarating, and leaves you with beautiful visuals. Now I take you back to Paia Bay via 2013 with the stunningly talented Maui girl- Callie Mahoney and the absolutely brilliant photographer Peter Augustin! Enjoy!
There are several ways to display a surfboard when hanging as art. I have tried several hanging techniques and props and as of the last few years my favorite stand has been these lightweight, simple and sleek V- Stands from SurfWorks USA . The owner Frank is a super nice and helpful. The prices are good and the stands are quality! SurfWorks has a variety of board stands but pictured below are the surfboard V-Stands. Check them out!
Wow! Last nights event for the Bodie Miller Fundraiser for the Aspen Valley Ski Club was amazing. There was an incredible turnout of over 100 people to meet Bodie Miller and listen to his inspiring speech about his career. 10% of the proceeds of sales last evening with to AVSC (Aspen Valley Ski Club). Many of my long-term collectors visited the event. I had the honor of presenting my surfboards and working with collectors. There was an incredible interest in the 'Black Menace' board, which happens to be the first surfboard of its kind with a black background, so the positive feedback was greatly appreciated and inspiring!
Aloha Aspen,
Stop into Performance Ski anytime this month to check out my new Oceanic Series Surfboards!
Aloha everyone! I am back in one of my favorite places in the world and my second home; Aspen, Colorado. This time I brought some boards with me, surfboards that is. I am beyond thrilled to be showing my new Oceanic Series Surfboards at my favorite ski shop, Performance Ski, for the month of March!
All of the surfboards are shaped and glassed by world-class shaper David Gott in Maui, Hawaii. I hand-paint each surfboard making it an original piece of art where no two are alike. These one-of-a-kind surfboards are surely a cool, fun, and sleek addition to any room.
If you are in Aspen during March, stop by Performance Ski! I look forward to seeing familiar faces and meeting new ones.
A hui hou!
It may be raining and gloomy outside here on Maui but I'm busy painting away beautiful fantasy beach life. Stay tuned to see the finished work.
Just returned back to Maui and I've cleaned my palette, ready to embark on a new series with new inspiration. Stay tuned...
I've been busy and on a roll with my new work! Feeling very inspired by Fauvism and Post Impressionist art combined my new blue and green palette. You can keep up with my work and see the process through my Facebook page Kim McDonald Art
Have you heard? Kim has just recently launched a product line called KaiKimba! 'Kai' is the Hawaiian word for 'ocean' and 'Kimba' is Kim's nickname. The two together seemed only perfect for this beach lifestyle brand- 'Bring the ocean into your life'. The tribal patterns were inspired by Kim's Warrior Boards- hand painted surfboards.
KaiKimba is a lifestyle line from beach accessories, to clothing, to tech packages,. KaiKimba is just taking flight and what an exciting, and extremely busy, new venture this has been. Creating a new business while still maintaining her fine art business is not an easy job! Being a full time artist is not as laid back like most people think it is. It involves consistent creativity and inspiration, hardwork, dedication, and a strong will power. Kim manages to keep it all running with the help of a great team and her clear vision.
One of the most exciting moments with the creation of KaiKimba was the photo-shoot. What was going to be a small personal photo-shoot between Kim and her assistant, turned into a full on professional shoot. We had the honors of working with world renown photographer Peter Augustine and international model Callie Mahoney, it was like watching magic happen in front of your eyes! Here are some teasers:
Keep up with KaiKimba on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/Kaikimba
Some of the questions I get asked repeatedly pertaining my art career are: "How did you become a successful artist?""What are you doing in order to live off you art?" Here is one of my most useful tools that help me with art career: Marketing.
The most successful and best marketing tool I have is the shopping and dining guide by BEST Publishing on Maui and Kauai. The exposure I have experienced from being in these magazines for the last 12 years is incredible. BEST exposing my work to millions has been career changing and I contribute a lot of my success and ability to live off my artwork, to my ads!
I sincerely believe that without my making exposure in the magazine I would have not been able to sail through the recession, with my top selling years which have been the last 3 years like I did.
A big mahalo Mikel and Deb.
~Kim
More to come with 'Beyond Art' by Kim McDonald
Thank you BEST Publishing for all the years of incredible years of support, reliable advertising, and getting me through these past 4 years. An extra shout out Debra Morrill and Mikel Mesh, mahalo nui loa!
Here is the newest ad for the upcoming Upcountry magazine.
Check out these great photos that we just got back from photographer Dana Edmunds. Great work Dana, Kim and the board makers! Photographed in Kuau, Maui, at the beach fronting Mama's Fish House. Below Kim is featured with two boards:
Top photo: Eel's Legend, shaped by Kazuma Surfboards. This one-of-a-kind surfboard is featured as one of Kim's Warrior Boards, and is available for purchase here on this website.
The second board is designed by Sean Ordonez for Kai Lenny to use at Peahi (Jaws).
Looking for some new art? Gallerie 505 is enjoying its great location at 505 Front Street, (look for them when you go out to dine at I'O, Pacific'O or Feast at Lele). We just stopped in to say hello to our friends and see their new location (they just moved into a new storefront, ok, all the way back in December). Kim's paintings, giclees and surfboards have some fantastic company!
Mahalo to everyone who attended this year's Maui Open Studios event at the Kim McDonald Studio! Well over 100 people attended over the two day event, which will take place for the rest of the weekends in February at various locations over the island! We got to meet lots of other artists, visitors, as well as residents!
Congratulations to all of our new collectors as well!
