My art is the way I explore ideas concerning both day-to-day life as well as more profound ideas surrounding relationships, the environment and culture. It is a meditative practice of sorts that helps me stop and think about life. Over the years, I have developed a personal visual language that uses symbolism and surrealism to transform my subject matter into archetypal images. I have been told this gives my work a mythical quality making them both timely as well as timeless. When I am thinking about what my mission as an artist is, I have to say that I strive to create work that is aesthetically and emotionally meaningful. The fact that I portray all living beings as equals to be considered and valued is very important to me both as an artist and a person. Kathleen Zimmerman