Forever in our hearts

Our front cover image, meet the Artist

To mark these unusual and difficult circumstances we are all facing, we wanted to do something different for the front cover of this edition’s Journal that reflects the times we are currently living in.

The ICCM team searched high and low for the right image, but when we saw this, we instantly felt that this was the one. After contacting the artist, Kimberley Thomas, she generously agreed to allow us to use it. It became clear from Kimberley’s art that her motivation was influenced by personal circumstances. This is her story.

Kimberley Thomas is an illustrator whose studio is currently in Somerset, where she moved after 17 years of living and working between Ibiza and London. During that time, she worked as a freelance product designer for the Gadget Shop, Selfridges and designed for all the top names in Ibiza, as well as owning The Bedroom – the only sex shop designed for women in Ibiza.

All of this was brought to a halt when a battle with breast cancer made her put exhibiting her artwork on her bucket list.

Her first solo show at Ibiza’s exclusive Atzaro was such a resounding success that she decided to survive the cancer and has carried on exhibiting in New York, LA, Ibiza, Barcelona and London.

Kimberley Thomas’ work has a strong narrative and is often sprinkled with a pinch of humour; this, combined with her strong graphic style, has built her a large group of collectors around the world.

Her work is a mix of traditional pen and ink, markers, and watercolour.

Kimberley says “Having cancer, my father dying and losing my brother in an accident, made my relationship with death a comfortable one, art was always a way to express that for me.

One of my first exhibited pieces ‘F**K off I’m a’ving a cup of tea’ (An old woman giving death the finger) was sketched originally on the back of my hospital form whilst having chemotherapy. It was so widely received with such love that it made me realise that art can really make a difference in people’s lives during the hard times. It was also part of the Sutton House National Trust’s life, death, whatever exhibition, curated by Louise winter, funeral director and owner of Poetic Endings Funerals.

To date I have received so many messages from people whose loved ones or themselves were facing death, saying “your art broke the silence and we can now talk about my death “or just a simple “thank you”. It gave me strength. These messages are so important to me as an artist.

For this reason, I have recently made a second in the series, this time for men, called ‘P*ss of I’m aving a pint’. When the Grenfell Tower tragedy occurred I painted a remembrance piece called Forget me not. It was auctioned to raise money for the survivors. More importantly in my view, it was projected on to the wall during a local school’s memorial for two children whose lives were lost. This, I hope, gave the children a different visual of the tower that they had to see every day , plus they were able to write messages on postcards I had printed. Helping people with my art in a time of grief is so important to me.

So, during lockdown when R.I.P. messages started appearing on my feed, I realised I wanted to draw something to help the loved ones of those lost. Also, to take them away from being a statistic and hopefully try to bring back their humanity.

Pictures of the Covid 19 always looked like a dandelion clock to me, and as breath seemed to be the main thing affected by the virus the two melded in my mind into the artwork Forever in our Hearts.

I have already received some wonderful messages from people who it has helped with their grief. I will be sending them each a free artists proof and funding the cost of this by selling a signed limited edition print which can be purchased by contacting me direct, either through my website, Facebook messenger, or on my Instagram account”

Website: Kimberleythomasart.co.uk FB: @kimberleyDT.art INSTA: Kimberleythomasart