Portrait of Kim Cardoso in a black shirt, smiling in front of one of her blue paintings

Kim Cardoso (b. 1969) is a visual artist whose work explores our intersections with nature and curiosity about the passage of time. Originally from Baltimore, Cardoso began her formal training as a metalsmith. Drawn by an unexpected call to midwifery, she moved west, earning an MS in Nursing at the University of California in San Francisco. Since 2013, Cardoso has focused primarily on painting. Her work has been exhibited at spaces including Garvey|Simon, New Art Center, Artlink, and the Crocker Art Museum. Cardoso lives with her family on an urban farm in Oakland and continues to practice midwifery part time.

STATEMENT

As an extrovert in a complex world, I explore themes of ritual, communication, and observation through calm and luminous work. I pay attention to the places where we intersect with nature and are curious about the passage of time. Relating to my formal training as a metalsmith and working with my hands as a midwife, I am drawn to tactile materials, mostly wax. I savor the physicality of encaustic painting- construction, fire, carving, and rebuilding - a metaphor for wellness. The movements of painting itself make the work therapeutic, and the texture and smell of the encaustic medium recalls earth and skin, encouraging me to explore that relationship. I know my work is complete when it feels familiar and sensual and evokes connectedness.

SELECTED EXHIBITS

2025 Oct 11- 12, SF Open Studios, Room & Board, San Francisco, CA

2025 Sept 20- Nov 1, Aligned, Gray Loft Gallery, Oakland, CA

2025 GLASS HALF FULL (solo exhibit), Manna Gallery, Oakland, CA

2025 what beauty is for, SHOH Gallery, Berkeley, CA

2025 ART KALA 2025, Kala Art Institute, Berkeley, CA

2025 Chasing Cornflowers, Copper Leg Art Residency, Vaskaja, Estonia

2024 Material Resonance, Kriste Michelini, Danville, CA

2024 Exhale, SHOH Gallery, Berkeley, CA

2024 Art Exclusive, Sorelle Gallery, Westport, CT

2024 San Francisco Open Studios, Room & Board, San Francisco, CA

2024 Changing the Narrative, Pacific Art League, Palo Alto, CA

2024 Explorations in Monochromatic Art , Arts Benicia, Benicia, CA

2024 The Mills Building Lobby Exhibition, Artsource, San Francisco CA

2023 Select West 2023 Garvey|Simon, San Anselmo, CA

2023 The Space Between, Arc Gallery & Studios, San Francisco, CA

2023 Ephemeral / Ephemera Mulranny Arts, County Mayo, Ireland

2023 Roundtable Collaboration Postal Collage No. 12, Berkeley, CA

2023 tiny. Two Cats Gallery, El Cerrito, CA

2023 Call & Response: Art & Poetry. O”Hanlon Center for the Arts, Mill Valley, CA

2023 Art After Dark. Edna Contemporary, San Luis Obispo, CA

2023 Ritual Open. DeWitt Clinton Park, New York City, NY

2023 The Wind Walked With Her: Kim Cardoso, Eileen S. Moderbacher, & Wanda Westberg, SHOH Gallery, Berkeley, CA

2023 Convergence: The Intersection of Wax, Color, & Design. Village Theater Art Gallery, Danville CA

2023 Hot & Cold: Wax Artists of California, Blue Line Arts, Roseville, CA

2022 14th Annual 50|50 Show, Sanchez Art Center, Pacifica, CA

2022 Ritual Open. Oxon Run Park, Washington, DC

2022 The Wild Side: California Women Celebrate the Untamed, Arc Gallery, San Francisco, CA

2022 Silent Art Auction & Big Names Small Art, Crocker Art Museum, Sacramento, CA

2022 Slopes of Diablo, Valley Art Gallery, Walnut Creek, CA

2022 Convergence, Art Center Morro Bay, Morro Bay, CA

2022 Shimmer, June Steingart Art Gallery, Laney College, Oakland, CA

2022 The Dark of Night, Jen Tough, Santa Fe, NM

2022 Your True Colors, Escondido Arts Partnership, Escondido, CA

2022 Postcard Exhibition, Artlink, Fort Wayne, IN

2021 Painting at Night, Artlink & Artist/Mother Podcast, Fort Wayne, IN

2021 Metamorphosis, Tubac Center for the Arts, Tubac, AZ

2021 Local Inspiration, O’Hanlon Center for the Arts, Mill Valley, CA

2021 Global Warming is Real, Museum of Encaustic Art, Cerrillos, NM

2021 Business Card Art Show, JKR Gallery, Provo, UT

2017 In Flawed Abundance, New Art Center, Newton, MA

2016 Annual Trunk Show, Simon Breitbard Fine Arts, San Francisco, CA

2016 Our Town, Richmond Art Center, Richmond, CA

2016 Third Annual Juried Show, Piedmont Center for the Arts, Piedmont, CA

2015 Collect! Berkeley Art Center, Berkeley, CA

2014 Shelter, Art Works Downtown, San Rafael, CA

1995 Beauty is Strangely Familiar, Resurgam Gallery, Baltimore, MD

1994 the elements, Resurgam Gallery, Baltimore, MD

1993 Silver Anniversary Celebration of American Crafts, Creative Arts Workshop, CT

1993 Invitational, Carroll County Arts Council, Westminster, MD

1992 City Visions, Harborplace & the Gallery, Baltimore, MD

REPRESENTATION

Edna Contemporary, San Luis Obispo, CA

Sorelle Gallery, Westport, CT

Kriste Michelini, Danville, CA

artstudio 101, Phoenix, AZ

EDUCATION

1998 MS, Nurse Midwifery, University of California, San Francisco

1991 BA in Art & Psychology, McDaniel College, MD

1991 Kenya- Coastal Studies Program, School for International Training

SPARKS & STORIES

I have so much gratitude for the wonders of beauty and presence that shine in our aching world. 🕊️

I'll open my NEW studio doors in less than 2 weeks! I'm still @nortonfactorystudios , but I moved into studio 14, a dream! As I look forward to what I can create with nearly twice the space 😲, in addition to new paintings, I'm hanging a review of some old works- even my metalwork from the 90's! I'm hoping we can have conversations about beginnings, the paths we take (and don't) and our through lines. There are 14 other awesome artists at Norton opening their studios plus another 20 or more literally 3 minutes away @jingletown_artists . So come on down to Jingletown and get a bang for your buck (actually, for nothing) and see a ton of art! @eastbayopenartstudios Norton Factory Studios 📍3094 E. 10th Street Oakland, CA 🗓️Dec 7 & 8 ⌚️11a - 5p 🚖 Free parking right out front 🚊Fruitvale BART one block away 🍪Cookies!! 🎵Two performances of live music each day with Six String Mixtape, Barb Raboy and her Jazz Sextet, and Jim Gido!

'Great Highway' SOLD at Manna Gallery! UNDER 600 features seven artists showing small works under $600. It's up @mannagalleryoakland until December 14 on @25thstoakland Open Saturdays 12-5 and first Fridays 5-8. 🪩 On December 14 from 3-5, join us for a party at the galleries on 25th!

Sea Legs 1 , 2, and 3 Oil stick on paper New paintings from a body of work I'm revisiting. I'm using a technique I discovered next to a snowy lake on a mother-daughter trip with @_stellacardoso . It was February 2021, and the stalled world needed exploring. Just sent to @artstudio1.0.1 with extra protection from rain.

Ingrained Flow 14 x 14 beeswax, damar resin, pigment, and graphite on birch panel with handcrafted walnut frame This painting is included in Material Resonance at Kriste Michelini @kristemichelini . I'm excited to have my layered, luminous encaustic works sit alongside the organic ceramics of Liz Bloomfield @eb_clay and Joan Pinto @joanpintoceramics , and the textural mixed media works of Amy Torgeson @amytorgeson and Kristina Nobleman @kristinanobleman . It is a beautifully curated exhibit! 🎁 The line drawing in the last image is a coloring page I made from the painting. I created it (and a few others) for anyone who needs a little respite. You can download it for free from my website and make it yours. As usual, it's linked in the bio up🔝 Material Resonance 🪧Kriste Michelini Interiors 222 Railroad Avenue, Danville, CA 🗓️. November 14 to January 30 🕰️ Monday - Thursday from 10 - 4 & by appointment

One of the best things about being an artist is community! On Saturday, I attended receptions for two group exhibits showing my paintings. I mixed them together in this reel because that's how it is- a big swirl of connections and conversations. Over the four hours I was @mannagalleryoakland then @shoh_east_bay , I was introduced to a neighbor who made the giant animal sculptures in front of her house, connected the mother of a teen fashion designer to an aspiring teen fashion designer, sold a painting to an artist who has been cheering me on for a while, listened to an arts administrator asking insightful questions- and the artist answering deeply, met IRL three artists I knew through instagram, felt the excitement of the gallery owner describing the show curation, learned about a good restaurant, pet three cute dogs, told a friend from my art crit group about my latest adventures in oil on paper, received the joyful support of artists who have already arrived at the success I hope to have, was an impromptu guest art history lecturer for three homeschooled kids, and related to an artist's passion for the magic of sanding. With all the ups and downs of life, this is the stuff that keeps me painting and putting myself out there. Thank you to all who supported me this weekend - and always - in person and in spirit. It really means a lot. MANNA until 12/14 SHOH until 12/21 . . . #kimcardosoart #kimcardoso #mannagallery #under600exhibition #shohgallery #exhale #artmurmur #25thStreetOakland #californialandscape #bayareaartists #contemporarypainting #californiaart #californiaartist #oaklandartist #oaklandartists #bayareaart #abstractlandscape #encaustic #iea_encaustic #nortonfactorystudios #artistssupportingartists

Exhale: A Contemporary Landscape Show opens this weekend in Berkeley at SHOH Gallery. While our national landscape changes, come take some deep breaths with artists showing landscapes and hang out with other art lovers (possibly not talking about politics for a few hours) @shoh_east_bay . This exhibit has works by fifteen artists on both floors of the gallery, and I am truly honored to have been invited to show my abstract landscapes with them. Kanna Aoki @kannaaoki Jim Bensman @jbensman Kim Cardoso @kimcardosoart Lisa Esherick @lisaesherick James Hartman @earthmanjams Betsy Kendall @kendall.bets Christina Kent @christinakentart Heidi McDowell @heidimatic Gage Opdenbrouw @gageopdenbrouw Amrita SInghal @amritasinghalstudio Kevin Smith @ksmithpainting Wanda Westberg @wandawestberg Donna Westerman @donnadaywesterman Caren Wynne @halcyon.studios 🗓️ Nov 9- Dec 21 🍾 Sat Nov 9 from 3-6 (I’ll be there 4-6) 🖼️ SHOH Gallery @shoh_east_bay 📍700 Gilman St, Berkeley, CA ⏱️Thurs 12-5, Fri & Sat 12-6 'I Simply Gave Myself Up To the Task' beeswax, damar resin, pigment, and graphite on wood panel 40 x 30 in

I'm sort of paralyzed in bed at the moment, doomscrolling. Friends are canvassing in other states, posting about the traumas we can't ignore, and making art to encourage civic engagement. I put my ballot in the box last weekend, woke up at 4:30 am today (who set it up so we change the clocks right before election anxiety?!), and I am stuck. I can hear my son in the shower (for too long!), my husband fed the dogs and the chickens, and I have a pile of work waiting for me. Later, I'll be out providing sexual and reproductive health care with Street Medicine, and tonight I'll be bleary eyed in front the screen. Right after I hit share on these photos from my photo app search "blue," I'm going to get out of bed, do some stretching and breathing, and see if I can go make a difference in this world that turns and turns (for now- let's hold her gently). 🕊️

UNDER 600 opens TONIGHT at Manna Gallery in Oakland, CA (more events listed below ⬇️)! I'm so happy I was invited to participate in this exhibition featuring small works at accessible prices by seven local artists. I have six new paintings in the show - all California landscapes. UNDER 600 runs November 1 - December 14 @mannagalleryoakland and includes art by these local artists- Wayne Armstrong Kim Cardoso @kimcardosoart Patrick Crotty @artpacker1 Gina Gaiser @ginagaiser Rachel Major @rachelsmajorart Elaine Maute Sandra Wong Orloff @sandrawongorloff 🪩Artists’ Reception Saturday, November 9, 2-4 pm 🪩Holiday Party with 25th Street Galleries Saturday December 14, 3-5pm @25thstoakland with @slate_art @mercury20gallery @thefourthwallgallery @uptownfineart 📍Manna Gallery, 473 25th St, Oakland, CA ⏰ HOURS: Sat 12-5 & 1st Fridays 5-8 Paintings shown above-- 'The 101' 'Black Diamond Mines' 'Pedro Point' All the art is priced under $600, if you didn't figure that out 😉.

'The Summit of Mt. Everest is Marine Limestone' encaustic, pastel, and graphite on wood 20 x 20 in I'm always happy to be juried into a show at the lovely @ohanloncenter , and I'm especially pleased this time to be selected for BLUE from over 1000 works by Sarah Shepard of @sarahshepardgallery in Larkspur, CA. I used to apply to many juried shows, but early this year I shifted my focus to other areas. When I heard about this opportunity, I couldn't resist! This call for entries had four big draws for me- 1. it's my color 🦋💙👖🪣🌊, 🌏🌌, 2. the entry fees benefit a community art space, 3. I wanted to put my work in front of this particular juror, and 4. the O'Hanlon artist talk tradition is such a cool part of showing with them. Today at 4pm PT on Zoom, the juror and artists will talk about our work in the show. DM me before 3:30 today, and I'll share the link. You can see BLUE and read a poem by J. Livingston via the link in my bio ⬆️ through December 31. Thank you @sarahshepardgallery and everyone at @ohanloncenter !

Landscapes from my travels stay in my head when I paint. Some are broad vistas and others are a blur of a passing field or shifting ocean. I rarely began with the intention to capture a specific landscape or photograph I've taken. When a place reveals itself in the process, the title often comes from that recognition. When the place remains elusive, I often use lines from books or poems about nature, place, or self-care to better understand the work and give it a title. I’ll be showing several landscapes in two SF Bay Area exhibits with opening receptions on November 9. I'm so pleased to have been invited by @shoh_east_bay and @mannagalleryoakland to share all new work in these small group exhibitions. Check out my bio or sign up for my newsletter for the details. . . . #kimcardosoart #encaustic #natureinspires #californialandscape #seascape #fogscape #iea_encaustic #encausticartinstitute #closeup #californiaart #californiaartist #oaklandartist #kimcardoso #bayareaart #abstractlandscape #shortvideo #naturereels #northerncaliforniadesign #artandnature #californiainspired #reelitfeelit #fyp #artinspiration #naturalhomes #nortonfactorystudios

'If You Know How To Look' This painting is part of my body of work called Nature's Library. The paintings pull from my love of drawing and celebrate lines carved by time. It's available @sorellegalleryfineart in the Art Exclusive until 4p Pacific / 7pm Eastern tonight. The show has over 500 works of art- all on sale, all online! Go to sorellegallery.com to find your favorite.

GET THIS ONE TOMORROW ➡️ Many little details make my paintings: laying down color, peeling up tape, scraping with a straight edge razor, blending with fire, picking out brush hairs, and deciding what's up. These details are part of painting with natural beeswax, tree resin, and pigments. As a former metalsmith, I paint with a craftsperson's heart 🤍 KIM CARDOSO 'In Which We Are Never Alone' 30 x 40" encaustic on birch panel Available on sale @sorellegalleryfineart in the Art Exclusive October 23 to 25. Save it to your Sorelle online wishlist. The online sale goes live at exactly 4 p PT/ 7p ET! Link in bio or go to sorellegallery.com Event supported by @theconnecticutedit and benefitting @bcrfcure . . . . . #sorellegallery #westportct #connecticut #findingwestport #westportlifestyle #connecticutart #artexclusive #connecticutgram #newengland #NewEnglandHomeMagazine #nehomemagazine #connecticutdesigner #ctdesigner #connecticutinteriordesign #beachhouse #modernrustic #modernrusticdesign #eclecticstyle #artinspired #wabisabi #visceralfeels #bluepainting #kimcardosoart #encaustic #encaustica #abstractlandscape #iea_encaustic #paintingwithfire #artreel #studioview