Kim Marhoefer Willis Biography
Kim Marhoefer Willis is an art instructor at the von Liebig Art Center in Naples, Florida, where she teaches art to adults and children. She was born in Chicago, but moved to Naples as a child and has spent most of her life in the Naples area. She studied art with an array of instructors at a number of schools including the University of Florida, Kalamazoo College, the University of Bonn, Germany, and Florida Gulf Coast University. In 1986 she spent a year in Berlin, Germany, apprenticing with artist Daphne Buddensieg in the field of fabric and clothing design.
Upon her return to the United States Kim focused her energies on creating a body of work. In 1988 she was featured with Timothy Bailey in a two person show at Project D Gallery in Naples. The following year she was selected for her first one woman show at the same gallery. Her show Surreal Expectations was well received and in 1990 her work was featured in the June issue of Art Business News.
In the early 1990s Kim created Aesthetic Designs, a custom clothing design and tailoring business. For ten years she built a loyal following designing and creating men’s and women’s custom fashions, as well as redesigning existing fashions. She and her small workforce catered to local individuals and worked with numerous upscale retail outlets in Southwest Florida.
Kim returned her attention to her art in the late 1990s. At that time she began focusing on printmaking. She bought her own press and continued to refine her skills, focusing mainly on etchings, monotypes and photopolymers. In 2005 she began teaching printmaking at the Art Association in Naples. Over the years she continued to develop classes for the art center, extending her focus to children’s art classes as she and her husband raised their own two children.
Kim’s work is gaining recognition from coast to coast. Her work has been exhibited in galleries from New York City to Seattle. She has competed in prestigious national and international fine art competitions. Her work can be found in numerous private collections across the country.
Kim believes art is a reflection of the history and psyche of mankind. Her representational work generally reflects a mood, or expresses an observation or commentary about our society and culture. Her wry sense of humor often appears in her work. Her witty titles add complexity to her themes, and many people are amused by her social commentary, referenced through unusual juxtapositions of familiar scenes and objects.
Kim currently lives in Naples and divides her time between her art, teaching, taking classes and raising a family with her husband.
Upon her return to the United States Kim focused her energies on creating a body of work. In 1988 she was featured with Timothy Bailey in a two person show at Project D Gallery in Naples. The following year she was selected for her first one woman show at the same gallery. Her show Surreal Expectations was well received and in 1990 her work was featured in the June issue of Art Business News.
In the early 1990s Kim created Aesthetic Designs, a custom clothing design and tailoring business. For ten years she built a loyal following designing and creating men’s and women’s custom fashions, as well as redesigning existing fashions. She and her small workforce catered to local individuals and worked with numerous upscale retail outlets in Southwest Florida.
Kim returned her attention to her art in the late 1990s. At that time she began focusing on printmaking. She bought her own press and continued to refine her skills, focusing mainly on etchings, monotypes and photopolymers. In 2005 she began teaching printmaking at the Art Association in Naples. Over the years she continued to develop classes for the art center, extending her focus to children’s art classes as she and her husband raised their own two children.
Kim’s work is gaining recognition from coast to coast. Her work has been exhibited in galleries from New York City to Seattle. She has competed in prestigious national and international fine art competitions. Her work can be found in numerous private collections across the country.
Kim believes art is a reflection of the history and psyche of mankind. Her representational work generally reflects a mood, or expresses an observation or commentary about our society and culture. Her wry sense of humor often appears in her work. Her witty titles add complexity to her themes, and many people are amused by her social commentary, referenced through unusual juxtapositions of familiar scenes and objects.
Kim currently lives in Naples and divides her time between her art, teaching, taking classes and raising a family with her husband.
