She first became interested in art at school and went on to create a career out of it.

“I've always been fascinated with colour and form in paintings,” Kim said.

Her creative gene comes from her grandmother, who was a talented shell worker and has work on display at the Powerhouse Museum, Sydney.

Kim aims to paint, draw or create on a daily basis.

“I'm currently working on two commissions as well as sculpture pieces for the NSW Parliament Aboriginal Art Prize,” she said.

Her art practice isn't limited to painting - she is also passionate about printmaking as well as photography, sculpture and video.

“Creating art and the processes involved are extremely important for me. Art makes me think, plan, design, shape, remember, question, examine and create; then perhaps scrap it and start again. Art lets me create pieces that make me and hopefully others happy,” she said.

Inspiration also comes from other female Aboriginal artists such as Brenda L. Croft, Judy Watson and Fiona Foley for their cultural perception, work in terms of memory, truth in self, cultural integrity and artistically beautiful artworks, sculptures and photography. 

Her previous career was in education and she has worked as a lecturer at Sydney, Macquarie and Australian Catholic universities, a classroom teacher in Lismore and in the UK and an Aboriginal education officer for the Broken Bay Diocese and Archdiocese of Sydney. 

Her father was born on the banks of the Shoalhaven River at Terara and while she grew up in La Perouse and Mascot in Sydney, she has a strong family connection to the South Coast of NSW.

“I have family in Nowra as well as all down the coast from Sydney to Eden and then from Lake Tyers to Melbourne,” she said.

“Previous experiences form the basis of much of my work and are reflective of memory and connections to people, place, culture and feeling.”

She completed a masters of art in printmaking at UNSW College of Fine Arts (COFA) in 2013 and is currently a full time TAFE student, undertaking a certificate four in Aboriginal cultural practices and certificate four in small business management to help market herself as a full-time practising artist in the Shoalhaven.

She is a founding member of the Black Cockatoo Arts incorporation which was formed earlier this year.

This new group has evolved from the Aboriginal Cultural Arts program at Nowra TAFE.

“The biggest impact [of the group] is to be able to work with other like-minded Aboriginal artists, to share ideas, to ask for advice and get great tips, work in collaboration and not just work in isolation as many artists do,” she said.