Kim Birdsong was born and adopted in Naples, Italy, and has lived on the Monterey Peninsula for nearly 40 years. Creative in all areas of her life, collage has been her primary medium since 1996.
Kim’s collages reflect her deep love and intimate relationship with the natural world. Her work is infused with the archetypal themes of embodiment, belonging, feminine divinity, passion, beauty, and grace.
“It is my belief that a creative response to profound pain has the power to bring about true and lasting healing, both personally and collectively.”
Kim’s work has been exhibited at the juried exhibition accompanying the Association for the Study of Dreams annual conference in Santa Cruz in 2000; at Galeria Tonantzin in San Juan Batista in both a solo show and as a contributor to the Women Envisioning Peace exhibit; at Bouquets to History & Art at the Maritime Museum, Monterey; in Carmel during the Altar show and Sacred Arts Festival, and at Valley Girls Gallery in Carmel Valley. She is a past participant in the Monterey Artists Studio Tour. She is featured in the spring 2009 issue of the Monterey County Herald publication, Haven.
Her background includes a master’s degree in Transpersonal Psychology; a graduate certificate in Women’s Spiritual Development, and a bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of California. She has completed specialized training in DreamTending and extensive shamanic training in ritual, divination and community building. For three years, she developed and hosted her own radio talk show, “Spirit Matters." She is a founding member of the Sacred Arts Council, co-producer of the Sacred Arts Festival in Carmel, California, and a member of the Monterey Bay Women’s Caucus for Art. She is the Client Services Manager for the Monterey County Rape Crisis Center.
DREAMTENDING
Developed by Dr. Stephen Aizenstat, DreamTending is a method of working with dreams and their accompanying images. It holds that the images that visit us in dreams are alive and can inform us about our personal unconscious and provide glimpses into the collective unconscious. Further, these images can speak on their own behalf from the perspective of a world unconscious. Rather than narrowing the meaning of a dream or particular image down to a specific symbolic association, DreamTending opens images to possibility and invitation.
Kim offers individual and group sessions in DreamTending with fees on a sliding scale.
COLLAGE
From the French word coller, to glue, collage is a traditional art form that uses paper and other media to create new images. In this modern age, it has evolved beyond its origins to include the world of digital imaging and computer manipulations. I am somewhat of a traditionalist. I employ old fashioned scissors and Yes! Paste and glue onto archival, acid free 8-ply mat boards, keeping computer editing and finishing to an absolute minimum. The finished collage is scanned and printed as a fine art print. I use magazine images, and hold deep gratitude and respect for the original artists and photographers who created them. Their execution and inspiration give energy and form to my vision.
As with dreams, the power of image is unmistakable, and the varieties and combinations are infinite. Collage also respects the integrity of the original image and allows further expansion and exploration of topics that cross the bounds of the personal and collective, cutting across centuries and lifetimes. I have found the expression they provide invaluable in the areas of personal and spiritual growth. I offer workshops annually at the beginning of the calendar year to assist you in defining intentions. These offerings continue quarterly, with an eye to our inner essential nature as it unfolds and evolves with the seasons.
PHOTOGRAPHY
In the realm of photography, I bow deeply to those with years behind the lens. At best, I am an amateur whose love of the craft was rekindled while in India in 2008. I use a Nikon D300s and a NIkon D7000 with 80-200mm 2.8 and 16-85mm 3.5 - 5.6 lenses. I am endlessly fascinated by faces, especially, and by the sacred as it reveals itself and is honored in all cultures. I remain a perpetual student of light, texture and composition.