Kim Maria Foundation

Kim was a bright light in the room. Everywhere she went, people were drawn to her. She had a magnetic energy; you wanted to be near her. She loved meeting new people and could strike up a conversation with total strangers and make a connection. Kim is remembered by many as a unique artist with a kind heart, gorgeous smile, and a spirited sense of humor.

From an early age, Kim was interested in art. She was always drawing, painting, sculpting with clay or making collages. She was also musically inclined. Kim trained on the violin with a member of the Buffalo Philharmonic when she was in high school. In addition, she learned to play bass guitar, drums and piano. Kim was crazy about fashion – she followed the latest trends on runway shows and in magazines. After college she performed in Buffalo's infamous Artists and Models show.

In 1996 Kim met artist Craig LaRotonda and their relationship took them from Buffalo, NY to San Francisco, CA. There they began a creative partnership under Revelation Studios, making unusual sculpture and mixed media pieces. Kim's work was shown in galleries such as La Luz de Jesus Gallery in LA, G2 Gallery in AZ, CPOP Gallery in Detroit, Varnish Fine Art in San Francisco, Limbo Fine Art in San Diego and Anno Domini in San Jose. She was also part of the organization Red Umbrellas, a group of independent artists showing their work in outdoor venues in and around the San Francisco area. In 2005, Kim and Craig married and relocated to New York City.

Kim's distinct style of mixed media artwork is in the collections of actors Gedde Watanabe (Sixteen Candles, Seinfeld, ER) and Kirsten Dunst (Spiderman, Marie Antoinette), as well as director Michael Lindsay-Hogg,  music producer Craig Fruin, writer Jerry Stahl and appeared in the 2002 Universal Pictures feature film Big Fat Liar.

In addition to being an artist, Kim was an avid antique collector. She was gifted at finding unusual, valuable pieces and getting an amazing deal. In 2007 she started an EBay business which focused on jewelry and pottery.

A cause close to Kim’s heart was animal rescue. When Kim met Craig he had a happy, mixed breed dog named Zed. Eventually, one dog led to four, and India, Piggy and Udo, all rescue dogs, joined the family. Kim had envisioned running a rescue business of her own in the future. In 2008 in Kim’s memory, numerous donations were made to Buffalo Humane, a non-for-profit no-kill animal shelter and adoption agency.    

In Kim’s short, yet amazing career as an artist, she carved a niche for herself as an innovative and intricate creator of mixed media work. Kim’s work and bio may be viewed at: http://www.galleryad.com/past_exhibits/revelationstudios03/