Rising Stars: Meet Kimberly Nick Gutierrez

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kimberly Nick Gutierrez.

Hi Kimberly Nick, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I got my artistic journey started by drawing on the walls of my childhood home. I didn’t take art very seriously as a child. I mostly taught myself how to draw by trying to recreate pictures from books or cartoons, and taking art electives when offered at school. I only started to seriously consider a creative career when I got to high school. Art was about the only thing I really enjoyed doing despite being encouraged to pursue careers in business, computer science, architecture, and engineering by my parents and teachers. I only really liked creating but I wanted to do something besides studio art and decided to apply to art school in Santa Fe, New Mexico to study communication design. It was there that I really saw all the opportunities I had to pursue creative careers without having to be a stereotypical starving artist. I later transferred to a college in Denver, Colorado and switched my major to visual arts. I started pursuing studio art while studying communication design independently. It was around that time that I started taking more chances with the type of art I was creating and started using my interests in science, physics, and history as inspiration for my artwork. I also took an internship as a graphic designer for Museo de las Americas to further my design skills. Since graduating I now work for Museo as their graphic designer and have worked on eight exhibitions, have been invited to display my art in five local shows, and I now sell my art online and as a vendor at First Friday events. This journey would not have been possible without my family who have been my best customers and supporters since day one, my friends who have encouraged me every step of the way, and my professors and co-workers who have helped me build a network.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The road has been anything but smooth but I wouldn’t have it any other way. I think the biggest struggle for me so far was when my dream college closed permanently after only attending for two semesters. When I graduated from high school, I had planned on attending the Santa Fe University of Art and Design but was only able to attend the school for a year before they announced their closure during my second semester. When I first started attending SFUAD in August of 2016, I felt like I was so far behind compared to my peers, many of whom had years of experience as graphic designers while I had never even used Photoshop. It was also disheartening to realize that I wasn’t as talented as I thought. I feared I would never be a great artist or designer. I felt like a lost cause and I shouldn’t even try. Despite this, I decided to use that fear to learn as a motivator to learn as much as I could and take chances. I was encouraged to experiment, ask questions, and try new methods of creation. These experiences made transferring all the more difficult. I had great difficulty in finding alternative colleges since it was so late in the year. Regis University was one of the few schools that accepted my application and seemed like a good fit. The biggest challenge was starting over again in another new state without any family or friends. I remember feeling like a failure because I wasn’t attending an art school like all my former classmates and felt isolated because I was so far away from my home. Since then, I think I have found a good niche and community for myself. The pandemic has probably been another recent struggle, but I think everyone knows how difficult that has been.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I have so many creative pursuits I am not sure I specialize in anything…I suppose I specialize in traditional art. I love filling up sketchbooks with drawings and collages about whatever is on my mind at the time. If I’m not sketching I can be found painting. I really enjoy working with gouache and have created series about space, light, time, and am working on a new series about my hometowns Ciudad Juarez, Mexico and El Paso, Texas. I also create digital illustrations and vector designs, these are usually inspired by my sketches. I think I am most proud of the recent exhibition I have worked on with Museo de las Americas–Luis Barragan: A Legacy, New Works Undressing the Mexican Soul. I was able to design all of the marketing materials myself and learned a lot about his work through the process. I feel like I was given a lot of creative freedom and was able to contribute something that really shows off my talents. Just like the artists featured in the show were inspired by Barragan, I too was inspired when creating our exhibition materials. I’m not sure what sets me apart from others. I just try to create things that make me happy and create conversations with other people.

What do you like and dislike about the city?
I think what I like the most about Denver is how vibrant and historical it is, and how it’s made me feel reconnected with myself. I’ve been very fortunate to be able to find connections to my Latinx culture through other Latinx individuals, through the organization I work for, and through the historical public art, I am surrounded with every single day. Denver also has a pretty large and active metal scene, which is my favorite genre of music. I have been able to see so many bands and musicians I never would have come across in my hometown. Working at an art museum keeps me surrounded with art and constant sources of inspiration. I wouldn’t trade this experience for anything else, but I still have a very deep love for the frontera. What I like least about Denver is the infrastructure, especially since I use public transportation a lot. Other than that, I guess I really wish Denver had a Whataburger or Los Canarios, I miss their burgers and flautas so much!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://bloodgulchblue.wixsite.com/dambrosiart
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/d_ambrosia_/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dambrosiart
• Other: https://www.redbubble.com/people/d-ambrosia/shop

Image Credits
Photos by Kimberly Nick Gutierrez.