Kim’s artistic journey began as early as she could hold a pencil. Her passion for art led her to private lessons at the age of nine, where she honed her skills in traditional mediums like oil, pastel, and charcoal. After graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Kansas State University, Kim embarked on a successful career in graphic design in the Kansas City metro. However, in January 2017, she decided to rekindle her love for art and launched her Extreme Graphite style, now branded with her distinctive TAGG ART logo mark.
After experimenting with the graphite medium, Kim’s focus took her to a new level, which she defines as “Extreme graphite.” Influenced by the Precisionist graphite style of Charles Sheeler, the passionate traits of Grant Wood, and the artful black-and-white celebrations of the ordinary
by Mable Dwight, her style emerged as an emotional saturation of tones. Kim’s extravagant technique involves subtle delineation from powder graphite in the smoothest textures to a 9XXB pencil for the darkest values and multiple layers in between. Often, a third of the drawing is complete before a pencil emerges. Her landscapes and skies are depicted in energetic black and white tones, challenging the viewer to interpret a sunrise or storm without the element of color. And although so much is said without color, her newest style has incorporated color graphite in powder and liquid form along with Pan Pastels. TAGG Art graphites are larger than most pencil drawings, adding to their extremeness. The subject’s size and theme are “comfort food for the soul,” easily digested, and has landed Kim several awards since 2017.
Kim is a Signature Member of American Women Artists. Her work has been recognized and awarded in regional and national shows, including the prestigious 2022 and 2023 Best of Drawing, Strokes of Genius National Competition.
