Kim Donaldson (born 1952 in

Southern Rhodesia Southern Rhodesia was a self-governing British Crown colony in Southern Africa, established in 1923 and consisting of British South Africa Company (BSAC) territories lying south of the Zambezi River. The region was informally known as South ...

), is a

Zimbabwean Demographic features of the population of Zimbabwe include population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population. Population The population of Zimbabwe ...

artist who specializes in painting portraits and the

wildlife of Africa The fauna of Africa are all the animals living in Africa and its surrounding seas and islands. The more characteristic African fauna are found in the Afro-tropical realm. Lying almost entirely within the tropics, and stretching equally north and ...

. Having spent his early life on a ranch in what was

Rhodesia Rhodesia ( , ; ), officially the Republic of Rhodesia from 1970, was an unrecognised state, unrecognised state in Southern Africa that existed from 1965 to 1979. Rhodesia served as the ''de facto'' Succession of states, successor state to the ...

, Donaldson was perfectly placed to develop and nurture his interest in the wildlife and people that surrounded him.

Career

Donaldson's paintings document the political and environmental issues facing the continent and his painting style incorporates several techniques including

realism Realism, Realistic, or Realists may refer to: In the arts *Realism (arts), the general attempt to depict subjects truthfully in different forms of the arts Arts movements related to realism include: *American Realism *Classical Realism *Liter ...

and

impressionism Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement characterized by visible brush strokes, open Composition (visual arts), composition, emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities (often accentuating the effects of the passage ...

. His work in

pastel A pastel () is an art medium that consists of powdered pigment and a binder (material), binder. It can exist in a variety of forms, including a stick, a square, a pebble, and a pan of color, among other forms. The pigments used in pastels are ...

is the most recognized of his oeuvres; however, recent works in oil and mixed media have also seen great success amongst collectors worldwide. His use of a wide palette and texture gives a sense that the works were painted using the red soil of Africa. Donaldson has been featured in four books, participated in numerous one man shows and group exhibitions throughout

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

and the

Americas The Americas, sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North America and South America.''Webster's New World College Dictionary'', 2010 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio. When viewed as a sing ...

, and sold his works in several auction houses. Donaldson's passion for the wildlife of Africa led him to write a book "Africa, An Artist's Journal" detailing his travels and experiences that give him the reference for his beautiful paintings. Donaldson's book took him over 4½ years to complete. He designed, wrote and illustrated the book himself; it became a best-seller in five countries and was highly commended by

Victoria & Albert Museum The Victoria and Albert Museum (abbreviated V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.8 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and named after Queen ...

book award for design.

Artwork

Image:Lion in the sage.jpg Image:Golden Moment.jpg Image:Past umfolosi giraffe.jpg

References

External links

Kim Donaldson's Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Donaldson, Kim 1952 births Living people Zimbabwean artists 20th-century Zimbabwean painters Zimbabwean illustrators Wildlife artists