I was driving back from a wedding in Connecticut yesterday. I took a wrong turn and ended up taking a long way home through windy roads of Connecticut and Massachusetts and finally landed in New York again. It was a beautiful drive. I noticed the reds and yellows of the leaves and it hit me that fall is nearly here. Of course, time has been hurtling forward all along, but it took the bright leaves to notice the change.

There have been so many changes in the past year.

I've spent a lot of time in the motions of these changes. Traveling, packing, moving, leaving my friends, making new friends, walking new streets, working with bouts of loneliness, playing more instruments, climbing new mountains, learning new sounds and patterns... painting, so many things.

I've been spending more time journaling, long-hand. In a way, I think this reflection time is when I take the time to "sit" with all of this change.

A few weeks ago, I was visiting some friends in NYC. The G train doors closed and I heard someone say, "Kim!" really loudly. I looked across from me and I instantly recognized the face. It was the bright face of one of the students that I mentored a few years ago. He recognized me and told me that he remembered our activities, that he was applying for colleges, that his sister was 12 now and that she was 4 when I met her. We were loud, everyone was looking but there was a genuine feeling of joy for all of the passengers. They didn't seem to mind that our conversation carried on across from each other. He told me that the edible color wheel was his favorite project and I laughed and said it was a terrible idea. "Too much frosting and sugar...", but he said it was fun and was glad to run into me; he remembered my "big smile".

After wards, I cried (I'm tearing up now re-remembering this) and laughed and my heart was full. To be honest, I nearly forgotten that time in my life - the weekends of rushing to take cabs to the community center in Astoria (I was always late) and the walks and meeting friends after; I'd always reflect on my projects and tell stories about how the kids like this or hated that.

Here I am, so many years and a different city later. I still do music and art with kids, but it's not quite the same and I'm not sure it every would be, but it was a good reminder to keep doing it. Running into him also reminded me that I like reflecting in this space too.

So much has happened since my last writing of the Christmas video and maybe I'll share it, but maybe I won't.

It is all okay, everything is okay.

Change happens fast and slow at the same time and like most things, it's full of multiple, opposing feelings. 

//

NY Cares Day 2014.

• Thanks to all of my dear friends for late nights of sketching and planning. Admittedly, it seemed quite impossible until you all pitched in. (even with the intense chevron pattern, it turned out so beautiful!)

• Thanks to the amazing volunteers for painting and having fun! You were all brilliant and fabulous!

• Thanks to the school for the great ideas and allowing us to sketch so late and special thanks to Colleen for being an amazing site captain!

I hope the kids love their new mural!not pictured: talking about our "magical" rendering of Washington D.C. with the students that helped paint (one was very proud for being her 3rd grade class president), my hourly "fun" check-in's, and the secret project that the same students decided to do on a SIDE wall. they kept coming over to us and asking if they could paint circles - i assumed they meant the circles for the "Banneker" text and encouraged their help! so we were all very surprised to find a NEW mural when turning the corner, but luckily the school has an amazing principal and parent-teacher coordinator with a great sense of humor. thanks again to everyone for making it such a magical and lovely day!  

♥

--

previous murals: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

**

This weekend was eventful. I spent most of the summer solstice traveling back from Iowa (pics TK), but Sunday was an adventure. We had a delicious brunch and went to the Eagle Street Rooftop Farm. Nicole and I were able to identify most of the vegetation, which made us feel really smart (though, she knows much more than I do!). As we were leaving the staff asked if we knew anyone with a backyard and showed us a chicken - apparently this chicken ran away from a slaughterhouse!  I offered to help by taking the chicken to the Composting Learning Center at Earth Matter.

I've been working with Earth Matter for the past few months. After building their website, I couldn't help but stay on to help with volunteer coordination and social media. It's been a great experience and I truly LOVE hanging out on Governors Island.Come visit us and hang out with Eagle!

**Also pictured, growing the garden of friends and bonding over "Goya" products while watching the World Cup - yet another sport I am clueless about.

NY Cares Day 2013 @ W.E.B. Debois High School from Kim Kullmer on Vimeo.

This year's New York Cares Day was lit - according to the teens we worked with. The volunteers for this year's event were high school students participating in the Youth Service Program for NY Cares. Since this was a unique opportunity, I wanted to ensure that the students had a say in what was going to be on their walls, so we met a few times before the actual event. Most of them were seniors, so this mural was a chance to leave their mark. We decided on a mural that would depict "Iconic Brooklyn". The final piece was a landscape of Coney Island to the Brooklyn Bridge. One of the teachers suggested adding Jackie Robinson's baseball number, hence the large 42. The students were great to work with. Their energy was inspiring and they. made. us. laugh.

Here's a little video from our day.

♥Thanks to everyone who came and I hope you all had a wonderful time!

My fifth New York Cares Day was a blast. I had a great team of people, including some great friends, that helped me with sketching the week before the event (thank you!). The Site Captain of the Ernst and Young team was so organized she had color-coded notecards to split the teams up for the different murals. It was awesome to see my murals come to life, and the volunteers were great (especially painting the coral that Julian sketched). A special request was added to the second floor, Betty Boop with purple goggles, to remember a teacher that recently passed away. After everyone left, I did the usual run-around, adding detail and finishing touches. I could have stayed and painted in these fun landscapes all day; luckily, friends reminded me that it was time to celebrate.

More photos TK from the EY team!

Thank you to everyone that participated! (full set)

Fall is almost here which means so is New York Cares Day! I have been a mural artist for this event the last four years. This is my fifth year and I AM SO EXCITED! This is the largest school I've worked with - so large that it has two mural artists. Between the two of us, the kids arriving the following Monday will practically have a brand-new school! :)I would love for you to join me in this amazing event.

What: New York Cares Day
Date: October 13, 2012Time: 9:30-3:30 pm
Who: You and anyone you'd like to invite!(please note all volunteers must register)
What we'll be doing: Painting a mural in Brooklyn (off of the L train, Grand stop). There will be several murals sketched with a "paint by color" system, so for those without artistic experience, no worries - it will be easy. That being said, there is much room for creative expression, for those looking to do more. If you're interested, register online you happen upon the site through the regular home page, you can follow these easy steps:

1. Agree to the terms

2. Select, "Join a team"

3. Scroll down and look for the team called, 

Ron Burgundy

Please note that there is a $20 fee. I can assure you that all funds go to NY Cares and it's ongoing projects. For example, our Art Explorers class has been able to make things with clay, paint, and even take a field trip to a museum.

Happy fall folks!

xo

You must be decked out in sparkles and look extremely over-the-top.This Christmas I participated in one of the most moving, volunteer experiences ever. I was part of the entertainment for a Christmas Dinner.The event was amazing and I'm already planning a costume for next year.Here are some photos from the day courtesy of Michael McTwigan and Amy Drucker.

Here are some snaps of before and after...Pre-sketching last weekend...

NY Cares Day outside mural team...

Happy volunteers and indoor murals...

Finishing touches outside....(I had to leave early to pick up my cousin from Germany [posts on this soon!])

Happy students this morning!

NY Cares Day 2011 (as always) was a great success!

Thank you to everyone that participated. We *quite literally* brightened this school and neighborhood. While the volunteers were at lunch, I worked on accents and highlights, while doing this a little girl from an apartment building called down..."Hey! That looks real nice." Knowing that she will have a brighter view makes me smile.

Thank you to everyone involved!

I can't believe NY Cares Day 2011 is in two weeks! I absolutely love this project, so much that I've participated it in every year since I moved here. You can see my previous experiences here, here, and here.I think it's very inspiring to think about all of the volunteers around the city participating in brightening schools and doing what they can to make a difference. I even take a break from my regular NY Cares Art Explorer's project so I can work with other schools.Someone recently asked me if I thought of my volunteering as "work". I didn't have to think twice about that question. I don't. To me, it's something that brings me back to earth. There's something about having a very hectic week and then taking a couple of hours on a Saturday morning to make art with kids or paint murals that reminds me that there is soooo much more to this life than the things I'm surrounded most of the time. I enjoy meeting people and I love trying new art activities with the kids. Plus, there's this amazing bakery right by the train that has this amazing Colombian cheese bread which I get every week with my co-team leader. YUM!Anyway, this year's mural focuses on puppets the school uses to teach kids about "being a good sport" in different situations. Here are some sketches in progress. They aren't finished yet and the crayons don't really show the exact blues I want to use for the sky, but it's a start!p.s. perhaps not my best sketches, but it will be a fun mural and much prettier than these!

I love volunteering and I love the kids I work with even more. Last week, we made marbleized paper. I have to say that the students had swirlier turnouts than I did! My sample looked more like a speckled egg! Our projects work best when I bring a sample to class. This way the kids actually see what we are making. Plus, it's a great chance to do some fun art!I found this project online. It was super easy, super messy, but super fun!The best part about that day? Having one of the kids who just wanted to play on the computer actually participate in our project. He was not interested in making art with us AT ALL and was very adamant about not coming to class. Three volunteers tried getting him to come, but I managed to talk him into it. Seeing him excited about the project and promising to participate in future projects made my week. If you are in New York, come volunteer with us! Giving back is so, so rewarding. Thanks to everyone that participated and my great co-team leaders!Hooray for volunteering! NY Cares Day 2011 is coming up! I'll be posting information about my mural soon! What you need:

• Food coloring
• Vegetable oil
• Paper
• Baking pan
• Water

1. Take the food coloring and cooking oil and put it in a glass or cup to stir. I used these glasses at home, but at the class we used little craft containers.2. Mix the oil and food coloring to make the colors you want. Stir it quickly like a salad dressing.3. This part looks super cool...4. Put enough water in the pan so it's a thin layer at the bottom (my sample has too much). Add the food coloring/oil mixture to the pan. It should float to the top of the surface.5. Take the paper and place it on top of the water. When you pull it off, you'll have different swirls and patterns. To make more patterns, just take the mixture and drop it on the paper directly. Move the paper around to make shapes and things you like!** Have a kind roommate help you out when you realize it was stupid to wear a nice camera while playing with oil and food coloring... have him document the rest of the photos **The result? Fun paper! 

You're probably wondering what in the world is a "Krull shop"...well, my friends - let me tell you...."Krull" is something Hayden started calling me - I have no idea why - but for some reason it stuck - so much that I almost signed a painting Krull in my last painting class.Now the "shop" part comes from asking my friends to help me finish a project and me sort of making fun of sweat shops...Remember the Visions tactile mural that I started last year?Well, I finally finished it -- thanks to my friends - THANK YOU!!! At my birthday brunch last week I asked me friends to help re-glue some pieces of this tactile mural. This was a much easier task than previous birthday requests of tree planting and gardening... **Thanks again everyone! I presented the mural the students last night and they loved it! It will be hung in Visions over the next few weeks. :)Warm fuzzies all around :)Happy hump day folks!

I took a hiatus from the Visions class, but after last night I realized why I missed it and must return. The students are fun and we make awesome projects.We all decorated these gold foliage with sparkles and paper, but then I decided we should make a whole collage full of glitter and tissue paper.So we did.The result: glitter-rific awesomness!There was a tiny glue spill, but it was perfect for impromptu tissue paper flowers! To make - just smash tissue paper scraps (people's floor scraps are perfect) into balls on the paper - and voila!Textured flowers!We also made glitter designs. I had her follow my hand so she could understand the shapes that we were making.Birds~Swirls~So much glitter!! (sorry for the blur, taken with my glittery hand holding the phone!)This project was really fun for both of us and my student proud of her work!**Have I told you how much I LOVE sparkles?!What do you love? What are your favorite crafty projects? And lastly...how do you think this project would go over with my kids in Art Explorers? I think they'd like it, but it would be glitter maddness!Anyway, hope you all had a happy hump day!xo**btw: I started this post while I was in choir today - our concert is coming soon! December 17, 2010 - save the date!btw2: Kristin Chenoweth is incredible in Glitter and be Gay

Holy crap is it Monday again? Seriously. I barely remember the past two weeks, it's been something like this; work, work, work, work, sketching, sketching, sketching, sleep, coffee, coffee, work, work, work, sketching, sleep, coffee, work work, work, and trying to see people in between to maintain sanity!But now, I have a tiny moment to breathe. To come up for air like my fish, Deadline. :)

One of my projects is done! New York Cares Day 2010 was on Saturday and the school I worked on received a huge makeover! From the garden, to books, to the murals, it's hard to believe we accomplished so much in one day! But we did!

After an exhausting day - I'm proud of my version of Klimt's "Tree of Life". I hope this will be an inspiration to kids every day!

**Not only did we paint the cafeteria, but we helped the school yard. Before it was a block of concrete and now there are several games for the gym teacher to lead! This morning, we received a big thank you from our happy students!

To all the volunteers, thank YOU for participating! We couldn't have done it without you! Until next year's NYCD! :)

all photos from iphones - thanks Alexxa for some of these pics! :)

This will be my third year being a mural artist for NY Cares Day. It's one of my favorite projects because anyone can participate. Last year, I worked with over 100 volunteers and it was an absolute blast. The year before that, I was primarily with my friends (that was fun, and thanks to all who participated!). I'm not sure how many volunteers will participate this year, but I am very excited about my sketches.

Admittedly, at first I was very nervous about this year's project because we have a very talented art teacher on board. He and his students have already painted incredible murals throughout their school and I didn't want mine to pale in comparison! But then I remembered that this day is more about the volunteers and giving them an opportunity to feel creative and helping others - so I've sketched some ideas that can be easily painted (with a paint-by-color system) and that incorporate major artists.

These are still a little rough, but I think this will be a fun project!

Cafeteria~ The current cafeteria has these wonderful paintings of historical figures in a cafe. I wanted to continue this theme, but opened it up to being an outdoor cafe, leading into musicians playing in central park. From there it turns into a more music/Harlem themed mural. I looked up some different Harlem Renaissance artists. I wanted something colorful and lively - I looked up William H. Johnson and got the idea of the dance. This will lead back into a cafe in front of some live music by Ella Fitzgerald and Duke Ellington on piano. I left the cafe part open, so the volunteers can draw in more characters on their own.

Stairwell~ To continue with the theme of artists, I thought it might be nice to go with George Seurat's "A Sunday Afternoon". I'd like to keep a few of his elements, but again, allow the volunteers to add in more modern types of people. It might be a neat idea to ask the kids who they'd see in the park, and we could draw their ideas as well. This tree will go up the stairwell and lead into tree. I'd like to create our own version of Gustav Klimt's "Tree of Life". The tree will continue with his circular pattern, but I'd like to incorporate different types of typography and inspirational words. This isn't sketched out as clearly, but hopefully this explanation helps. In the background of the tree, would be iconic landmarks around the world including the Eiffel tower and the NYC skyline. This is yet, another opportunity for volunteers/kids to add more of their own thoughts.

The center I volunteer at asked if I could help brighten the walls of one of the rooms. They wanted the students to be encouraged to hang out in a creative space.I didn't do my typical sketched out-"paint by color" system for the volunteers. Instead it was a collaborative design by everyone that attended. Everyone found their inner artist and worked together. I think the results definitely brighten the room!A few walls had circle painting (thanks Dandy for the idea!)And they looked AWESOME!And some people worked on their own projects - including a nature scene with a tree, rose garden, and sunset.Sadly, I don't have a full photo of this at the time!When I wasn't running around, I painted some abstract birds and shapes.These connected to square painting and an imaginary world in the sky...The teens claimed their wall with splatter painting, smiley faces, and hand prints.and they definitely left their mark! ;)According to the teens, this is the "talking" room. I think the mural has plenty of things to talk about. :) I hope that everyone is proud of their work and that the teens can take ownership of this new, creative space!The mural isn't complete yet, but we'll be adding the finishing touches sometime in the next couple of weeks!Thank you all so much for participating today!!!! :)I love it!

I made a sample. It was fun and is pretty!I think tomorrow will be messy and fun!

I love color~ my paintings are usually full of color.This is one of my favorite colorful pieces - it's now proudly owned by a couple in Queens.In this week's Art Explorers class, we're going to talk about color. I have found so many awesome art blogs for inspiration and project ideas - like this edible color wheel. We'll be doing this project tomorrow, I think it will be fun and a little crazy!Wish me luck!

Once a week, I volunteer with the blind creating art projects and I'm constantly amazed at their talent! We set these projects up so mostly everything is done by the student. The point is to make them feel successful in the art that they are making and let their creativity speak. Last semester we worked on a mural and it turned out great. I still have to post the final photos!This semester we've been working in clay, basket making (kind of hard~actually), and decorating hats.I am working with a new student and she is amazing! We sing Italian arias to each other, she teaches me words in the five languages she knows, and I watch in awe as she skillfully molds clay into birds.This is actually our second bird. The first bird was too wet, the wings broke, and we had to start over. I think this bird is even prettier than the first, as we're really working together to create patterns for the feathers (made from beads). She creates the pattern on one side and I mirror it -- all while singing.She inspired me to set up a singing program for the Greenwich Village Singers to come in and do some volunteer singing. I told her we'd be performing this summer and she was thrilled!**Do you ever have those moments where you realize how BIG the world is?And how each person has their own story?I do, and I love hearing other people's!And of course, sharing my experience from their stories. :)

Just finished my Art Explorers project. Today we did torn paper Kandinsky's. The kids loved it!Next week we'll do more with Kandinsky and see how music affects our art!

I recently became a team leader for the New York Cares Art Explorers project. My project is on Saturday mornings at the Ravenswood Community Center.I'm excited about my lesson plan for tomorrow! We're going to make pop up Mother's Day cards. These are some quick phone pics, but I had to share.I've been making art out of all of my office's leftover materials.