Kim Testone

Kim 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.

From scooping her own ice cream to baking and decorating elaborate cookie, gingerbread and frosting models, Kim tries to ensure a human element in all of her work, including her reference images. The paintings often feature drips of ice cream, swirly swoops of frosting, and other evidence of the humanity behind each subject, along with a childlike joy and optimism that is primarily intended to make viewers smile. Kim often shares painting process videos online showcasing her complicated layer-building process, consisting of many thin translucent glazes of acrylic paint, so viewers can witness the evolution of the illusion of dimension created in her pieces.

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 car...

-Master of Arts, Arts Administration, Savannah College of Art and Design (Savannah, Georgia) (2012)
-Bachelor of Arts, Visual Arts with a Concentration in Drawing, University of Central Florida (Orlando, Florida) (2000)
- Additional post-graduate coursework in Interior Architecture/Design, Art Business

SOLO EXHIBITIONS

2026 Hidell Brooks Gallery, Charlotte, North Carolina, Trompe L'Oeil Foodscapes
2023 Hidell Brooks Gallery, Charlotte, North Carolina, Large Ice Cream Paintings
2022 Hidell Brooks Gallery, Charlotte, North Carolina, 30 Small Ice Cream Paintings
2021 Hidell Brooks Gallery, Charlotte, North Carolina, Dessert Paintings
2019 Hidell Brooks Gallery, Charlotte, North Carolina, Dessert Paintings

GROUP EXHIBITIONS

2026 Hidell Brooks Gallery, Charlotte, North Carolina, Recent Ice Cream Paintings
2025 Richeson75 Small Works 2025 Finalist, Kimberly, Wisconsin
2024 Cultural Currency: Contemporary Art from the Riemer Collection, Traveling Exhibition, National Tour 2024-early 2027
2021 National Oil and Acrylic Painters' Society 2021 Fall Online Exhibition
2018 National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington, D.C., The Doors of Make Room Public Art Project
2018 Torpedo Factory Art Center, Alexandria, Virginia, The Doors of Make Room Public Art Project
2014 Ridge Art Association, Winter Haven, Florida, Member Show
2013 Ridge Art Association, Winter Haven, Florida, Member Show
2013 Cooperstown Art Association, Cooperstown, New York, Summer National Show

AWARDS

2021 Award of Excellence for Summer Strawberries, National Oil and ...