Biography

Kim Matthews Wheaton, born in 1950 in New York City, is an American painter whose work is shaped by the landscapes of Washington State. She grew up in San Francisco, where she began painting in high school, and later earned her BFA from the University of California, Berkeley.

In 1997, she moved with her family to Eastern Washington, where she spent twenty years painting the region’s expansive horizons, patterned fields, and dramatic skies. This landscape became central to her work, with a focus on the geometry of the land and the movement of light and shadow.

After relocating to the west side of the Cascades, Wheaton found new inspiration in the sky and water: cloud formations, reflections, and shifting atmosphere. Her work has evolved from direct observation to a more simplified, intuitive approach, emphasizing shape, color, and their interaction. Though often inspired by photographs, her paintings develop freely on the canvas as she continues to explore and refine her response to the landscape.

STATEMENT

For twenty years I painted the landscapes of Eastern Washington. I loved the long horizons, the patterned fields, the dramatic lighting of stormy skies and the ability to see great distances. When I moved to the west side of the Cascades I struggled to find my own interpretation of these new surroundings. Before, focused mostly on the land; the plowed fields, the patterns left after the harvest. In this new environment I’m finding much more inspiration in the sky and the water; shapes of clouds, reflections in the water. There’s so much beauty in this part of the world! Rather than copy what I see, I simplify my landscapes and focus on the shapes and colors and how they interact with each other. I’ve always loved the way shadows move across fields, and I am exploring more of that. I start with inspiration from my photographs, but the painting comes to life when I focus only on the canvas and let it evolve on its own. Slowly I’m finding my way.