Kumiko S. McKee was born and raised in Japan. She studied art through high school as an art major in Japan and received her BFA from the University of Wyoming in the United States. She is a co-founder of the “3 Square Art” Fine Art Center in Colorado, which consists of 25 studio spaces for creative artists, a fine art gallery for juried exhibitions, and art classes. As co-owner of 3 Square Art, she continues her passion for the arts working with her partner helping fellow artists, organizing portrait group sessions, and curating monthly exhibits for the 3 Square Art Fine Art Gallery. 

Currently she is working on a series of drawings titled “American Family” in which the portraits represent each family member in her multi-cultural family. It is very important for her to express the emotions and characters of her subjects. This helps take a drawing beyond just a normal portrait and brings to life the essence of the person.

Kumiko’s work is the recipient of international & national awards including:

• Honorable Mentions, Drawing Category in 15th ARC Salon International Competition, the Art Renewal Center (ARC)
• First Place Award, Strokes of Genius 12, the Artists Network /Golden Peak Media
• Honorable Mentions, Rocky Mountain Biennial 2020, the Museum of Art Fort Collins
• Juror’s Choice Award, Fort Collins Artist Studio Tour Preview Exhibition 2019, the Carnegie Center for Creativity
• Juror’s Choice Award, Fort Collins Artist Studio Tour Preview Exhibition 2018, the Carnegie Center for Creativity
• First Place Award, Fort Collins Artist Studio Tour Preview Exhibition 2017, the Lincoln Center Art Gallery
• First Place Award, 27th Annual Juried Student Exhibition, the University of Wyoming Art Museum
• First Place Award, 26th Annual Juried Student Exhibition, the University of Wyoming Art Museum
• A&S Dean's Award, 23rd Annual Juried Student Exhibition, the University of Wyoming Art Museum

Publications:

• The Best of Drawing (Winter 2022) / Artists Magazine & American Artists 
• The 15th International ARC Salon Book, International Realism/The Art Renewal Center
• The Best of Drawing (Winter 2021) / Artists Magazine & American Artists 
• INDA 13 (13th International Drawing Annual) / Manifest Gallery
• Journey (January/February) / Women’s Magazine 

• More information can be found at www.kumiko-art.com

* This statement has been provided directly by the artist in association to their 16^th International ARC Salon entries. This content has not been edited for typos or grammatical errors and has not been vetted for accuracy.