Husband and Wife Artist Team to Present DEPAUL/DEPAUL: A COLLABORATION IN ART & LIFE Exhibit at Ware Center, Begin. tonight
The Ware Center will present Kim and Tom DePaul's art exhibit: DePaul/DePaul: A Collaboration in Art & Life. The exhibit will open today at the Ware Center, July 5, 6-8 PM. It runs through July 30.
The DePaul's are clearly a couple who think outside the box. At a time in life when most people are thinking of retirement, Kim went back to grad school for an MFA in Photography, and Tom revisited and reinvented an old love: oil painting.
A few years back, Kim Klein and Tom DePaul sat at a cafe table on the Rue de Mouffetard in Paris and began a dialogue about living a life in Art. Both had successful careers in the arts: Tom, as the owner of DePaul Planning and Design; Kim as a textile artist. But being together in a city that is renowned for its art museums and galleries, it became evident that they were looking for something more.
Their first collaboration was Gallery DePaul in 2005. The second was their marriage (at the Gallery) in 2008. And now the third, the July exhibit at the Ware Center.
"I believe that people make Art in the same way they live life," says Kim. "If people are bold and take chances in life, it is reflected in their artwork. If they are timid and play it safe, it also shows in their work."
The DePauls certainly don't 'play it safe' with their subject matter: family relationships in flux. "We are at a time in our lives that is ripe for reflection: loss of loved ones, aging parents, changing family relationships. We are looking at memory and family dynamics from a different vantage point, across generations, and this is the basis for our artwork, even though it is sometimes difficult", says Kim.
"While we don't collaborate on the same piece, we often explore the same subject in our work. Kim is my Muse," explains Tom. "She provides insight and clarity to my complex narrative."
"It works both ways", adds Kim. "Tom is my sounding board."
"Making Art is not something we do in our spare time," says Kim. "Our ongoing dialogue about Art is so intertwined with our ongoing dialogue about Life, it would be impossible to separate the two."
Tom, a graduate of University of the Arts, has a distinctive, figurative style that reflects his desire to create a narrative that engages the viewer. Thinking as an artist has given him an awareness of how art, the artist, and the viewer complete collaboration.
After completing his degree at University of the Arts in Philadelphia, Tom's personal
interest in the arts became his profession.
For forty years, as principal of DePaul Planning and Design, he has been involved in the design of corporate and residential interior design projects.
Several years ago, after opening Gallery DePaul, Tom returned to painting. As his involvement grew, he realized its worth to him, creatively as well as emotionally.
His award winning work has been shown at: Art of the State, Harrisburg; Lancaster Museum of Art; and most recently at Red Raven Art Company in Lancaster.
Kim's award-winning work as a textile artist and photographer has received national and international attention, and has been included in the corporate collections of: Smith-Kline, The Mayo Clinic, and Capital Blue Cross, and the private collections of photographers: Charlotte Niel, Christopher James, Sophie Zenon, and Sarah Moon.
Her work has been published in Black&White Magazine, Philadelphia Magazine, and the New York Times.
Her dual role as an artist and a gallery director has given Kim the opportunity to expand her involvement in the arts, and use her varied experiences to curate distinctive exhibits at Gallery DePaul. Kim has also developed and led a series of photography workshops in Paris, Tuscany and Venice, as well as teaching photography workshops in the gallery.
In addition to her solid exhibition record, Kim has recently been expanding her interests to include alternative process photography, mixed media, filmmaking and book design.
On First Friday, Second Hand Suits, a quartet of singers and instrumentalists, will provide entertainment in the lobby. Also, the Center hosts The Ware Center Cat Show: a Celebrity Cat Meet & Greet Event.
All events are free and Open to the Public. Discount parking vouchers are available for the Prince Street Garage and the Hager Parking lots at the front desk.
