by Edna Dickinson

Mike Kleimo and I were married for 40 very interesting years. We met when we were both working on the Trans Alaska Pipeline in 1975, in Prudhoe Bay, the northernmost camp on the Arctic Ocean.

I was working in the Culinary Union as a bull cook, which included cleaning the trailer where Mike lived. Mike was working as a teamster driver hauling the pipe up the Dalton Highway from Fairbanks to Prudhoe Bay in sometimes -70-degree weather. We lived for several years in Fairbanks, Alaska, and then drove out one November to Seattle, Washington, where we made our home for the next 25 years.

Mike began a graphic design business in Pioneer Square and I worked in scientific research on HIV in the first biotech startup in Seattle, Genetic Systems, continuing my work in clay in the evenings.

It was a busy time, in large part because Mike was truly a polymath. While he always painted, in addition to his graphic design business, he built houses, worked construction, rebuilt the engine in his old 46 Chevy; loved history, reading and film; and was truly interested in others. His most endearing quality was his sense of humor, which produced unusual, quirky depictions of his subjects, action packed street scenes and distorted perspectives. His way of looking at and living life is portrayed in his work.

We traveled quite a bit, to Paris, Istanbul, London. Mike had never been to Europe. So, having studied the European painters in art school, he was thrilled to go to the museums and see these paintings in person. The rest of our vacation time was spent with him painting outdoors.

In Amsterdam, I remember, he went on someone's houseboat, without permission, and painted in the cold and rain. When the owner eventually showed up, Mike, in his usual friendly manner, won him over, with the man inviting us to his restaurant.

We moved from Seattle to San Miguel in 2002. Mike loved to get a painting group together. He would load the painting material and his dog Bessie into the back of the truck and go out into the campo and paint by propping up his paper and kneeling in the dirt. Children would crowd around and watch him paint the watercolors.

Mike Kleimo passed away October 10, 2018, here in San Miguel.

ZOHO is pleased to honor Mike Kleimo who was a founding member and a guiding force of our gallery. We will be showing the last of his plein aire watercolors.

Rockport, Maine
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Artist Statement:

"I work mostly in watercolor, pushing the transparent aspects of the medium. I use the techniques of 'overglazing' and layering to achieve bright color and strong contrast while trying to keep the fluid features of watercolor intact. My compositions pay special attention to shapes created by twisted perspectives and exaggerated form. I like to paint landscapes and city scenes on site in outdoor daylight -'plein air,' mostly those places that involve old churches, machinery, trucks, tire shops, cantinas, hombres, landscapes and rustic composition. Scenes from Atotonilco, Mineral de Pozos, Santa Rosa and San Miguel de Allende are included in my work.

"The pictures are 'pure' watercolor in the sense that they employ only the white of the paper to get light into the important part, and good quality paper, Arches 300lb watercolor paper, is used. The pigments, Winsor & Newton LTD, Daniel Smith, are the finest for maximum staining, longevity and brightness."

The paintings in this exhibition span the years that Kleimo lived in San Miguel, (2002-2018) and show his love of everyday people and scenes. The vibrant colors, humor and emotion of painting on site come through in this work. They represent the unique way that Kleimo saw the world.

Mike Kleimo graduated from the California College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland, California, with a BFA in Advertising Art and Design. With his own graphic design agency, he also worked as a technical illustrator and art director, but never strayed far from the fine arts. Kleimo had shown his work in Seattle, San Francisco, Puerto Vallarta and San Miguel de Allende

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Edna Dickinson was born in Texas but grew up in England, in Germany, in Argentina, in Africa and in the United States. She lived in Seattle, Washington, for 25 years and worked as a research scientist in two different biotech companies: Genetic Systems and ICOS. Studied ceramics in California State Hayward and De Young Museum, California; in South Seattle Community College and University of Washington, Washington; in Anderson Ranch, Colorado, and Archie Bray Foundation, Montana. Her work has been exhibited in the United States and Mexico. She had solo and group shows in Seattle, Washington; Museo de la Ciudad, Querétaro; Centro Cultural Ignacio Ramirez "El Nigromante" - Bellas Artes, San Miguel de Allende. Edna has been living and working in San Miguel de Allende for 20 years.

www.ednadickinson.com

Ceramic Education
1973 – 1974 California State Hayward, Ceramic Department, Hayward, California
1973 – 1974 De Young Museum, San Francisco, California: Ceramic studies
1978 – 1979 South Seattle Community College, Art Department, Seattle, Washington
1982 University of Washington, Ceramic Department, Seattle, Washington
1998, 1999, 2009 Anderson Ranch, Colorado; Ceramic workshops
2001 Archie Bray Foundation, Helena, Montana; summer session

Degrees
Bachelor of Science, Marketing, Florida State University
Bachelor of Science, Botany, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington

Juried Group Exhibitions
1992 Seward Park Art Studio, Seattle, Washington, Honorable Mention
1993 Mosler Art Center, Seattle, Washington
1994 South Seattle Community College Ceramic Department, Seattle, Washington

Group Shows
2/21/2004 Clay Art Center, Opening
8/6/2004 Galeria de Ceramica, Opening
12/08/2006 Galeria de Ceramica, Featured Artist
12/16/2006 Galeria de Ceramica, "Ceramics by Seven"
1/14/2006 Galeria Reloj 46, Group Opening
12/1/2007 Generator Gallery, "The Art of the Vase"
1/6/2008 Galeria Reloj 46, Opening
2/21/2008 Bellas Artes, "Escultura en Barro 5"
2/2011 ZOHO Gallery, "Flowing"
3/2012 ZOHO Gallery, "Flow"
11/2013 Gallery Cammarata "Recycle Bundle"
3/2013 ZOHO Gallery "Cascaras"
3/2014 ZOHO Gallery "ShapeNColor"
3/2015 ZOHO Gallery "Bursts"
8/6/16 ZOHO Gallery "Envueltos"

Solo Shows
1/28/2010 ZOHO Gallery, Installation: "Fragility"
4/15/2010 Museo de la Ciudad, Queretaro, Installation: "Fragility"
4/30/2015 Bellas Artes "Bosque" Installation
8/30/2018 ZOHO Gallery Raku Platters
3/2020 ZOHO Gallery Raku Platters

Galleries
Generator Gallery, Fabrica Aurora, San Miguel de Allende, Mx.
Galeria de Ceramica, Cooperative Member, San Miguel de Allende
Galeria Reloj 46, San Miguel de Allende
Galeria de Barro, San Miguel de Allende
ZOHO, San Miguel de Allende
Artesanas, San Miguel de Allende
Fresh Paint Art Advisors, Los Angeles, California

Teaching Experience/Workshops
Seward Park Art Studio, Seattle, WA., Workshop in Majolica
Workshop: Construction of Double Walled Vessels; Bellas Artes, Mx. 3/15/2008

Memberships In Ceramic Organization
Archie Bray Foundation, Helena, Montana
Board of Directors, Vice President, Seward Park Art Studio, Seattle, Washington 1996 - 1998
Seattle Potters Association, Seattle, WA.
Clay Art Studio co-op, San Miguel de Allende

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