About Kimberly
Baltimore City
Born in upstate New York in 1960, I moved to Baltimore with my then fiance and lifelong mentor even after death, my husband George in 1984. I finally started teaching myself oil painting in 1990. I have been working on my present project, the Million Gun Victims March since April of 2013.
Million Gun Victims March
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Darlene Johnson holding portrait of DeSean Mckoy.jpgDarlene Johnson is seen here posing with the portrait of her son, DeSean Lucas Mckoy for an article in the Belgian weekly news magazine, De Standaard, from September of 2016. Written by Steven de Foer. This is what the Million Gun victims March is all about. This is to honor and bring out the human beings behind the statistics. Once the goal is reached in getting a federal gun safety package passed and signed into law, all the portraits will go home. DeSean's portrait will come back to his mother to stay. -
Carter Scott 2012-2013.jpgCarter Scott (2012-2013) is the 11th portrait in the series. In May of 2013, the 16-month old toddler was riding with Daddy while he drove around getting supplies for the upcoming Memorial Day weekend. As the father parked the car, three men ran out with guns blazing. Carter suffered a leg wound with which he bled to death before emergency medical help could arrive. Painted in June of 2013. -
Keshawna Pinder 1992-2013.jpgKishawna Pinder (1992-2013) the 33rd portrait in the series, would have turned 21 years old in just six more days. What brought her, her best friend Tyreka Martin (1992-2013) and young father Brian Powell (1991-2013) together in that second story rowhouse apartment on March 19, 2013 is unknown. The two men who barged in a riddled all three with bullets are also unknown. Painted in march 2014. -
Truc Thi Ly Nguyen.jpgTruc Thy Li Nguyen is the 40th portrait in the series. She was a recent arrival to these shores from Vietnam, sponsored by her fiance. She worked at T&T Nail Salon to earn enough money for them to buy a house to live in when they got married. In May, 2014, she was servicing a customer when the shooter barged in with a semi-automatic, and shot rerpeatedly at the customer. Two of the bullets landed in her head, killing her instantly. Painted August 2014. -
Matthew Thomas 2003-2015.jpgMatthew Thomas is the 56th portrait in the series. He was a sixth grader who had already won awards in chemistry and astronomy. He may have wanted to emulate Carl Sagan. On New Years 2015 his father took him in his SUV and both went missing until January 4. Their bodies were discovered in a remote parking lot. The father shot Matthew and then turned his shotgun on himself. -
Yogesh Seth 1966-2015.jpgYogesh Seth is the 65th portrait in the series. He worked in the family mini-mart in the Highlandtown neighborhood. Everyone called him "Joe". On May 1st, 2015 two unknown burglars broke into the store. They fatally shot Yogesh and fled in a white car. The only item taken was his friendly greeting to neighborhood customers who loved him.Painted July of 2015. -
Julian Roary 2002-2015 and Ian Roary 2005-2015.jpgJulian Roary (2002-2015) was tall for a twelve year old, but he was a gentle giant devoted to ten year old Ian Roary (2005-2015). When the man they called Father lost his temporary job at a package delivery plant, he bought a shotgun and proceeded to kill the two boys before turning the gun on himself. They are #80 and #81 in the series. Painted January 2016 -
Isaiah Deloatch 2011-2016.jpgIsaiah Deloatch 2011-2016, oil on canvas, 12X12: Isaiah Deloatch was cute and curious minded four-year old boy. He was a good boy. If he could have known that the shiny gun on top of his grandparent's kitchen table was at all dangerous, he might have never picked it up. He never meant to hurt any of the family he loved. But as he held it in his two hands, the gun went off, striking him fatally in the head. Isaiah is the 100th portrait in the Million Gun Victims march. Painted October 2016 -
Haing S. Ngor 1940-1996..jpgHaing S. Ngor 1940-1996, oil on canvas, 9X12: He survived one of the most horrific genocides of the 20th century under the Pol Pot regime in Cambodia. Upon fleeing to the United States he made his acting debut in the film "The Killing Fields", for which he won an Oscar. He chose to live modestly in order to found the Haing S. Ngor Foundation, an organization dedicated to helping victims of, and try to prevent genocides around the world. He was gunned down by three Asian gang members over some trinkets as he made his way to his car. A man who survived the killing fields of Cambodia ended up dying on the killing streets of Los Angeles. He is the 103rd portrait in the series. Painted November 2016 -
Travis Hiatt 1966-2015, Kayden Hiatt June-November 2015, and Jayden Hiatt June-November 2015.jpgTravis Hiatt 1966-2015, Kayden Hiatt June-November 2015 and Jayden Hiatt June-November 2015, oil on canvas, 11X14: This is a typical carnage when a domestic dispute combines with easy access to a gun in the home. How could the presence of a baby, let alone two babies, pose such a threat to a man, particularly if they were his own babies? What justifies the aiming of semiautomatic handguns against targets like these, his fiancee, and her father, the babies grandfather? Imagine the wounded mother having to put her shattered treasures down and, as her last act on Earth, crawl to her dying father to say goodbye. But she lives, an orphan and a reverse orphan in a matter of minutes. The shooter committed suicide. They are the #107th, #108th, and #109th portraits in the series. Painted January 2017.
MGVM: The First Ten Paintings
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James Smith III 1994-1997.jpgJames Smith III is the very first Marcher to be portrayed. On January 3rd, 1997, his third birthday, he was taken to the barber shop to get his first big boy haircut with Mommy. While they waited, two men barged into the shop with 9mm semi-automatics blazing. A bullet ricocheted and entered little James' head. He died in hospital two days later. Painted April 14-15, 2013. -
Ron Waggener 1941-2004.jpgRon Waggener is the only brother I will ever know. He served in Vietnam, enjoyed gardening, but most importantly possessed an encyclopedic knowledge of opera and symphonic music that was staggering in its completeness. On March 26, 2004, he was returning home from a friends when an unknown man drove up to him, got out of the car, had a few words, shot him the head 4 times, and sped away.He died in shock trauma March 31st, 2004, but not before the Mozart opera "Abduction From the Seraglio" had finished. I was there. I brought him cassettes of Mozart operas every night. I listen to it every March 31st. It's "our" opera. -
Monae Turnage 1998=2012.jpgMonae Turnage was just 13 years old. She already wanted to be a pediatrician when she graduated college. But in February of 2012, a younger cousin and his friend brought a police issue rifle they had found lying around at an uncle's house. She tried to get the boys to put the firearm down. It went off, shattering her heart and killing her instantly. Painted late April 2013. -
Sgt. Tyrone Brown 1977-2010.jpgMarine Sergeant and young father of two Tyrone Brown had served two tours in Iraq. He had returned home and was enjoying a night out when he got into a disagreement with an off duty policeman who was also drinking in the same bar. The officer encountered the Sergeant in a nearby alley where he shot the veteran 13 times with his service weapon. -
John Browning 1962-2008, Tamara Browning 1963-2008, Gregory Browning 1994-2008, and Benjamin Browning 1996-2008.jpgJohn Browning (1962-2008) was a successful real estate attorney living in a quiet area in Baltimore County, where he and his stay at home wife, Tamara Browning (1963-2008) were raising three healthy sons. Thirteen year old Gregory Browning (1994-2008) played on his middle school lacrosse team. Eleven year old brother Benjamin Browning (1996-2008) may have looked forward to doing the same in a year or two. The eldest son shot them all with the family 9mm early in February 2008 so he could attend a party his father had forbidden him to go to earlier that day. Painted early may 2013. -
Reverend Mary Marguerite Kohn 1950-2012.jpgReverend Mary Marguerite Kohn 1950-2012) was the beloved pastor to her Lutheran congregation in Howard County. She and right hand volunteer Brenda Brewington (1953-2012) were setting up their church food pantry when a man barged in, fatally shot both women, then ran to the far side of the church parking lot where he shot himself. Painted mid-May 2013. -
Brenda Brewington 1953-2012.jpgBrenda Brewington (1953-2012) was a devoted Sunday school teacher and valued aide for the Reverend Marguerite Mary Kohn (1950-2012) at their Lutheran church in Howard County. She and the Reverend were just setting up the church food pantry when a man rushed in, fatally shot both women, then ran across the church parking lot where he shot himself. Painted early June 2013. -
Carter Scott 2012-2013.jpgSixteen month old Carter Scott (2012-2013) enjoyed going bye-bye with Daddy as they drove around picking up supplies for the coming Memorial day weekend. Father received a phone call and parked in an apartment complex parking lot to meet someone. Suddenly three men rushed toward the car, guns blazing. The toddler was struck in the leg. Despite efforts by bystanders, Carter Scott died before emergency crews arrived. Painted mid-June 2013 -
Kendra Diggs 1976-2013.jpgMTA bus driver Kendra Diggs (1976-2013) loved to garden. She looked forward to marrying her police officer fiance, by whom she had a young son. But a domestic dispute became so threatening, Kendra called the police. As she stood outside describing to a police officer what was happening, her fiance pointed his rifle out the window and felled her with a single shot to the head, then proceeded to hold emergency crews away until Kendra's death was certain. Painted late June-early July 2013. -
Vincent Adolfo 1961-1985.jpgSecond year police officer Vincent Adolpho (1961-1985) chased and cornered a carjacking suspect when the suspect grappled with Vincent and managed to shoot him in the back when he was spun around. Bullet proof vests only covered the chest area at the time. They have been updated since. Painted July 2013.
MGVM: Paintings Eleven Through Twenty
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Victoria Glover 1985-2013.jpgVictoria Glover 1985-2013, oil on canvas, 9X12: Young mother of three Victoria Glover worked as a nurse at the front desk of a physician's office. Her gentle face and kind greetings put patients at their ease. She kept the fact that she was in the middle of leaving an abusive relationship from her patients. She was in the middle of securing her youngest child in his car seat in order to take him to daycare, when her ex-husband walked up behind her. He aimed his brand new shotgun and shot Victoria in the back of the head. She collapsed on her child and died. The ex later used his new shotgun to shoot himself a short distance away later that day. painted November 2013. -
Mike Flanagan 1951-2011.jpgMike Flanagan 1951-2011, oil on canvas, 9X12: Mike Flanagan was a Cy Young award winning left handed pitching phenomenon who led the Orioles to their 1983 World series victory. After retirement he became a television commentator, beloved by fans and players alike. No one will ever know the source of the deep depression that gripped him. In September of 2011, he purchased his first shotgun, walked to his favorite fishing hole, and ended his life with it. Painted September 2013 -
Kenneth Harris Sr. 1963-2008.jpgKenneth Harris Sr. 1963-2008, oil on canvas, 9X12: Kenneth Harris Sr. had just finished his first term as a Baltimore City Councilman. All his adult life he was a dedicated community organizer, proud to serve the city he loved. In late September of 2008, he was on his way home from attending a sport event with his son when he stopped at a nightspot for a few minutes. An armed teen burst in intending to rob the place, was surprised by the presence of the Councilman, shot him, then fled the scene. Councilman harris died before he could get to the hospital. Painted October of 2013. -
Joseph Haskins 1992-2013.jpgJoseph Haskins 1992-2013, oil on canvas, 9X12: Twenty-year old Joseph Haskins looked forward to starting his first semester at the Baltimore Culinary Institute. He dreamed of becoming a master chef and opening his own restaurant. He was sleeping overnight on a friend's couch in early March of 2013. A home intruder surprised Joseph, fatally shot him, and fled. So far no arrests have been made. Painted October of 2013. -
Alex Ulrich 1972-2012.jpgAlex Ulrich 1972-2012, oil on canvas, 9X12: Budding art photographer Alex Ulrich loved the excitement and commaderie of his fellow neighborhoods in nthe Mount Vernon neighborhood. With community leader Lawrence Peterson, 1956-2014, Alex had held his first shows. This could have led to venues in New York City. He and Lawrence were having a conversation outside the Belvedere building in July of 2012 when a heroin addict, desparate for a fix, shot both of them with a semi-automatic, robbed them and fled. Alex died at shock trauma that night. Painted October of 2013. -
Gennie Shird 1992-2013.jpgGennie Shird 1992-2013, oil on canvas, 9X12: Young, beautiful, full of life, Gennie Shird was thrilled to have just graduated from Morgan State University. She had even spent one year abroad studying in Barcelona Spain, in order to broaden her experience. In Mid-May of 2013, she was relaxing and talking with three of her women friends when shots rang out from across the street. It transpired that the gunman was hired by a woman jealous that one of the four women were flirting with her man. Whether Gennie was the intended target is not known. But of the four women who were hurt, she was the one who died. Painted October of 2013. -
Meghan Kerrigan 1990=2013 and William Monroe 1992-2013.jpgMeghan Kerrigan 1990-2013 and William Monroe 1992-2013, oil on canvas, 12X16: First time parents Meghan Kerrigan and William Monroe delighted in the raising of their baby daughter. William worked hard to save up for a beautiful wedding, so they could provide for themselves as a young and growing family. Early in August 2013, at the crack of dawn, their next door rowhouse broke into their home and proceeded to spray the place with his high capacity automatic handgun. Both William and Meghan were killed. William's mother was badly wounded. Another lady friend also needed hospitalization. Meghan's last act was to fall in such a way as to provide a shield for their toddler, who was not hit. The shooter will spend the rest of his life in prison. Rumors abound that all this was over an argument about who owed who ten dollars. But the gunman was a major drug supplier for the neighborhood. The murder weapon was only one piece of an arsenal stashed in this inner city rowhome. Painted November 2013. -
Deshaun jones 1998-2013.jpgDeshaun Jones 1998-2013, oil on canvas, 9X12: Fifteen year old Deshaun Jones was enjoying his last day of summer break. He was about to begin his freshman year at Douglass High School the following morning. He was already a budding hip hop artist. Under the name "Lor D'Shaun", he hoped his music career would be the ticket to ennable his family to move out of their dangerous neighborhood. But as he sat on his friend's stoop, two men in a car sped down the street, shooting at a group of young men playing craps on the corner. Of seven men hit, only Deshaun, not the intended target, died. Painted November 2013 -
Neal Hunt 1980-2013.jpgNeal Hunt 1980-2013, oil on canvas, 9X12: To his many friends Neal Hunt was a gregarious, outgoing fun-loving man. I do not know if he had a regular job, or was another aimless young man with no idea of what he could do. But when he tried to rob someone, the intended victim shot him. Police ruled this as an act of self-defense. -
Aaliyah Boyer 2002-2013.jpgAaliyah Boyer 2002-2013, oil on canvas, 9X12: Ten year old Aaliyah Boyer looked forward to staying up all the way to midnight on New Year's Eve, perhaps for the first time. What better place to welcome 2013 than at her grandparents house in a quiet winter wonderland in Cecil County? But sleep can sneak up on a young child. She suddenly awoke, worried that she had missed midnight. She rushed out of the house to ask her relatives if she missed midnight. A bullet fired from an unknown gun struck her head. Too many people celebrate holidays by firing rifles. This one brought her to the hospital where she died two days later. The shooter is unknown. Painted December 2013.
