Hello Joyful People! I’m Kimberly and I am an artist, illustrator, designer, photographer, curator, social media lover, and joy cultivator.

Meet Kimberly Kling

I believe we’ve all got beauty and joy deep at your roots. I created joyful Roots as a place to share what makes me joyful, with the hope that it will bring joy to you as well.

My specialties are in illustration, art and graphic design. I love helping creative folks like you enhance their business, their idea, or their life with my illustrations, art, and creative juices. If you are following your dream like me and would like to team up on an awesome project, let’s get in contact!

You can also find my art & design for sale in some fun places like Etsy, RedBubble, and Society6. Explore those places to find my original art, prints, photography, sculptures, and jewelry.

What Drives Me

I’ve been a lover of design, art, and nature from as far back as I can remember.  When I was growing up, I was more interested in gardening with my dad, designing our patio, and creating art than most other things that kids do. I find beauty and enchantment in so much of this world and am constantly eager to learn new things.

Here are some things that keep my soul on fire:

  • Illustration (especially children’s, folk, and whimsical)
  • Art (painting, sculpture, photography, you name it)
  • Nature (plants and animals, serenity, gardening, landscape design, exploring, essential oils)
  • Joy (meaningful living, zen, cultivating happiness, small heart-based businesses, loving life)

O.k. If you are looking for credentials, I’ve got those too.

I hold a Bachelor degree  from Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois and a Master of Landscape Architecture from the University of Arizona in Tucson. I currently live in Hereford, Arizona which is a rural community outside of Sierra Vista and Bisbee.

In college, I was lucky enough to be able to study abroad in Copenhagen, the mecca of Scandinavian Design. That had a huge impact on my eye and skills as a designer and artist. That influence has been coupled with the influence of the stark and massive landscapes of Southern Arizona, where I know reside, and the green, dreamy landscapes of the midwest where I grew up.

I like to joke that in grad school, I learned more about graphic design than I did about landscape architecture. I’m not sure that’s true, but I certainly did learn an abundance of design skills as well as how to use the Adobe Creative Suite. My master’s project, the Tucson Wildlife Walk, was a culmination of those design and landscape architecture skills. The final product was an illustrated website and brochure full of cute little desert animals.

I also still make time to design gardens and landscapes and capture special moments through photography.  With my husband, I am co-owner of Twin Satori Photography, a wedding and lifestyle photography studio.

Awards & Publications

American Society of Landscape Architecture, Student Honor Award, 2009 {Tucson’s Urban Wildlife Walk}

Publications:

“Butterflies” Living with Urban Wildlife, Tucson Green Times, aka The New Southwest. May 2010.

“Oh, Bats!” Living with Urban Wildlife, Tucson Green Times, aka The New Southwest. July 2010.

Tucson Urban Wildlife Walk Web Site  {A website created by me as part of my master’s thesis}