About

 

Kim Hall-Testone is a contemporary acrylic still life and trompe l'oeil painter whose work focuses on happy and colorful dessert foods that evoke a sense of nostalgia, with a tinge of whimsy and thoughtful undertones. Her unique painting style combines her formal education with many years of self-taught technique. 

While Kim is best known for her realistic ice cream cone paintings, based on real cones she scoops in her kitchen, she has expanded her still life subjects into trompe l'oeil foodscapes. In her newest work, Kim bakes and decorates whimsical real-life cookie and frosting models and then paints trompe l'oeil paintings of them. The result is a great deal of happy magic and the illusion of three-dimensionality, despite being flat. Kim believes the ultimate purpose of her art is to make happy work that creates a joyful common ground for viewers, in an attempt to heal a broken world. 

"I have heard the sentiment that all still life painting is essentially narrative. I believe this to be true, whether it is infusing my ice cream cone paintings with mood and personality or designing a foodscape of cookies, frosting and treats. For me, none of this is cold realism. It comes down to intention and to tapping into something deeper than just making a pretty picture. I want the pieces to connect with viewers on a much deeper level, and so I'll spend much more time and effort to make something magical-looking, not just an average still life.  It needs to create joy. That is what drives me."

Kim holds a Bachelor’s degree in Studio Art with a concentration in Drawing from the University of Central Florida and a Master’s degree in Arts Administration from Savannah College of Art and Design. She is a former art magazine editor, as well as a former theme park caricature and silhouette artist. In her 12-year career as a professional artist, she has had five gallery solo exhibitions, won multiple juried art show awards, and was selected as one of a handful of artists for the 2018 public art project, "The Doors of Make Room," in Washington D.C. Her original paintings are in hundreds of private collections. She is represented by Hidell Brooks Gallery in Charlotte, North Carolina.