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Kimberly C. DeLuca
When I was 13 years old I asked my parents if I could paint the walls of our
semi-finished basement. Seeing, “no harm in it,” they indulged my creative
energies and gave me free reign over 2,000 square feet of wall space. Within
a years time I had filled those walls with a series colorful and playful murals.
My parents, and anyone else who walked down into our once drab basement,
were amazed at the world I had created. That was the first time I was ever
recognized for my artistic abilities.
In 1994 I received the Marie Walsche Sharpe Art Scholarship which allowed me to spend the summer studying art
at the University of Colorado under the tutelage of renowned artists such as Janet Fish and Joker Baker, along
with 29 other talented young artists.
In 1995 I was the grateful recipient of the Harriet Rusk IWU Art Scholarship for the four years that I attended
Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington, IL. While there, I continued to exhibit and receive recognition for my
work at numerous student and local shows including the McLean County juried art show from 1997-1999 and the
Women and Sexual Violence show in 1999. I graduated with honors from the School of Art in 1999 with a
concentration in lithography and oil painting.
After college I began a career as a graphic designer working most recently at Information Resources, Inc. in
Chicago. Still determined to fulfill my dream of being an artist I formed my own art and mural painting business—
Flaire Art—in 2002. I quit my full-time corporate job in October of last year to pursue my art career full-time. I am
happy to say that I am now part of that elusive group of people who can honestly say that they truly love their job.
I am enhancing the look and character of each room I paint and thereby enhancing the lives of the people who
occupy them. What could be better!
