Who Is Kim Ondaatje? The Inventive Life of A Canadian Artist

Kim Ondaatje!  A remarkable force in the Canadian art world, painter, photographer, filmmaker, educator, landscaper, organic beef farmer and dalmation-breeder, Kim Ondaatje has led an eventful life. Now her story unfolds in Who is Kim Ondaatje?, a biography that reveals the inner workings of a fascinating artist. Her story takes us from an affluent childhood in early 20th Century Toronto through the burgeoning Canadian modern art and literary movements of the 1950s, 60s and 70s, her marriages to writers DG Jones and Michael Ondaatje to her life on her beloved Blueroof Farm. Kim's drive, energy and passion to create, as well as her well-known habit of never taking no for an answer, have defined Kim's approach to life and her art. As an artists' rights activist, she cofounded CARFAC (Canadian Artists Representation/Le Front des artistes canadiens) for which she received a Governor General's award.
Ondaatje is a respected visual artist whose works are part of permanent collections, including the National Art Gallery of Canada and the National Film Board. Many of Kim Ondaatje's best artworks are featured in this book - remarkable early oil paintings rendered with palette knife, silkscreens evoking comfort and confinement in her House on Picadilly Street series, and her much-lauded Factory pieces. With exclusive access to Ondaatje's journals and based on extensive interviews, accomplished writer Lola Tostevin presents a vivid look at this singular woman with a striking artistic vision and talent for living.