Kim, daughter of a Mississippi state marine conservationist, grew up exploring the Mississippi barrier islands and the coast of South America as a teen.  A self taught artist, Kim drew much of her artistic expression and subject material from her childhood experiences.  She began using oils and acrylics and was later introduced to water color by her husband Ian.  Individually, her art has received much acclaim and earned several awards.

Ian was born in England and worked for NOAA Fisheries as a marine biologist for 30 years.  While he studied art in college, Ian’s primary interest in art was for scientific purposes.  Ian used photography including still, movie and video to document his studies.  His photographs appear in several books and publications and are on display in the Smithsonian Institute and the Monterey Bay Aquarium.  His movie and video footage has appeared on several television programs including Good Morning America, CNN and National Geographic Explorer.

One of the subjects Ian studied in college was scientific illustration, where he was introduced to the art of Gyotaku (Japanese for fish rubbing).  Gyotaku originated in Japan and was initially used as a means for fishermen to document their catch – much like fish mounts today.  Together, Kim and Ian have combined their talents and moved from documenting to creating art from their fish rubbings. 

They use a conservation printing technique, where fish are never wasted and most often end up as dinner.  Using black ink or acrylic paint, Ian prints the fish onto handmade paper or canvas, and Kim enhances the print with water color or acrylic paints.  Kim and Ian are members of the Nature Printing Society and sometimes combine seashell and foliage prints with their fish rubbings.  Their collaborative work is signed using a combination of their first names – KIMIAN.

Kim and Ian presently reside on Cudjoe Key in the Florida Keys.  Their art can be viewed at Artist in Paradise on Big Pine Key and the Key West Art Center in Key West, Florida