Born and raised in the lush landscapes of the Pacific Northwest, Kim holds a Master of Education in Early Intervention and Early Childhood Special Education from Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon. She fell in love with the Columbia River Gorge after she and her husband, Brian, purchased a tiny vacation cabin nestled in the hills above Lyle near Appleton in 2011. What began as an occasional retreat soon became home—by both choice and circumstance—when they moved from Milwaukie, Oregon to Skamania permanently in 2016, accompanied by their beloved pets: two BIG dogs, Wilson and Brewster, and two curious cats, Auggie and Mazy.

In 2019, Kim opened Expressatory, a small art studio in North Bonneville that offered creative workshops for all ages. When the pandemic led to its closure in 2020, Kim saw not an ending, but an invitation. From that stillness, the dream of a nonprofit art hub took root—a space dedicated to redistributing donated and repurposed art materials, and making free and low-cost creative experiences accessible to everyone in Skamania. Thus began the journey of Community Art Studio of Skamania (CASS) and its outreach initiative, CASS Mobile Art.

A lifelong maker and artistic experimenter, Kim especially enjoys mixed media and paper crafting. Her greatest joy lies in sharing what she learns—and the supplies she gathers—with others. What began as a personal hobby has transformed into a calling: using art as a pathway for connection, reflection, healing, and joy.