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Kim DuffekKim Kanoa Duffek   AFC Kim Duffek
Wildlife art and illustration
 
I have always been fascinated by nature and art. I have memories of being awed by the rainforests of Hawaii when I was only a toddler. Other early inspiration came while wandering as a child in the Tallgrass prairie region of Illinois. There is no better teacher than nature. When I would come home, my mother would put a paintbrush in my hand.

Tucson became my permanent home after finishing degrees in wildlife ecology and studio art at the University of Arizona. Working at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum and its daily immersion in the plants and animals of the very diverse Sonoran desert region of southern Arizona provides constant inspiration. Every excursion into the natural world gives new insight into ecological interactions. Life amazes me.

Whether painting wildlife art or illustrating books, including children’s books, or writing or teaching, I feel I am in my creative element. I am so fortunate to possess the talents I have.

 
Support for Conservation:
I have worked for 21 years as a horticulturist at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, and volunteered as a docent there for 5 1/2 years prior to my employment. I have contributed art to fundraisers at the Desert Museum, as well as proceeds to non-profit conservation organizations such as Tucson Audubon Society, Reid Park Zoo, Western Foundation for Raptor Conservation, and the National Wildlife Federation Wildlife Conservation Stamp Program. I have volunteered with Bat Conservation International and the University of Arizona on field projects related to threatened and endangered species of nectivorous bats, as well as studies establishing the cooperative hunting and breeding behaviors of Harris Hawks. My work at the Desert Museum has given me opportunities to participate in endangered plant studies and to provide natural history interpretation to members of the public, including students at the Desert Museum's Art Institute where I teach some classes as well. I cannot imagine doing anything else with my life than contribute to conservation causes.
 

Collections:
  • 2012 - Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum "Vanishing Circles" collection
    http://www.desertmuseum.org
    "Here Today" and Estero Nights" were purchased during the "Sea of Cortez" premiere exhibition at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. They depict threatened or endangered species and habitats.
     
  • Tohono Chul Park
    http://Tohonochulpark.org
    "Interdependence" depicts an endangered Lesser long-nosed bat feeding at a saguaro blossom, and resides in the park's permanent collection.
     
  • Colossal Cave Mountain Park's Posta Quemada Ranch Museum
    http://www.colossalcave.com/museum.html
    "The Twilight Room, through two full-color murals by artist Kim Duffek, explores life in the mouth of a cave, with a focus on bats, in particular those species to be found in Colossal Cave Mountain Park."
     
Publications:
  • No Species is an Island: Bats, Cacti, and Secrets of the Sonoran Desert (2017)
    More about No Species is an Island: Bats, Cacti, and Secrets of the Sonoran Desert
    Illustrator - No Species Is an Island describes the surprising results of Theodore H. Fleming's eleven-year study of pollination biology in Sonora, Mexico, in the most biologically diverse desert in the world. These discoveries serve as a primer on how to conduct ecological research, and they offer important conservation lessons for us all. Fleming offers an insightful look at how field ecologists work and at the often big surprises that come from looking carefully at a natural world where no species stands alone.

    No Species Is an Island is the culmination of a masterful, decades-long investigation. Based on outstanding hypothesis testing, Ted Fleming guides us with clarity through a maze of endlessly fascinating discoveries, well-illustrated by acclaimed wildlife artist Kim Duffek. This book is an exceptionally fun read for nature lovers everywhere. And it should be required reading for ecologists and conservationists.
    —Merlin D. Tuttle, author of The Secret World of Bats

    No Species Is an Island is about the most important story on Earth: the astonishing interconnections that keep the living world alive. It reads like what it is: a beautifully illustrated detective story into the real world, in a particularly magical land of shadows where all the plants keep secrets and all the animals harbor hard-held mysteries. Dive in and savor.
    —Carl Safina, author of Beyond Words

    With a bat and a flower, No Species Is an Island surprises us at every turn in the most amazing odyssey you'll read this year! You may be even more astonished to learn how you figure into the adventure.
    —Bill Broyles, author of Last Water on the Devil's Highway



    Author: Theodore Fleming
    Published by: The University of Arizona Press
     
  • Victor, the Reluctant Vulture (2012)
    More about Victor, the Reluctant Vulture
    Illustrator - ISBN: 978-1-886679-45-0
    Hardcover: 36 pages, fully illustrated
    Children ages 8-12
    8 x 11.75 inches

    Author: Jonathan Hanson
    Published by: Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum
     
  • Hey You's from Heaven (2011)
    More about Hey You's from Heaven
    Illustrator - Format: Perfect Bound Softcover
    Pages: 32
    Size: 8.5x11
    ISBN: 978-1-46704-144-7
    Author: Cynthia Dowdall-Thomae and Susan Quinn
    Published by: Authorhouse
     
  • Creating Outdoor Classrooms Schoolyard Habitats and Gardens for the Southwest (2008)
    More about Creating Outdoor Classrooms Schoolyard Habitats and Gardens for the Southwest
    Author and illustrator of ecology, creating wildlife gardens, and regional plant tables chapters - Paperback
    8.5 x 11 | 211 pp. | 156 illustrations, 152 b&w photos, 1 maps, 7 tables
    ISBN: 978-0-292-71746-6

    Author: Lauri Macmillan Johnson, with Kim Duffek
    Published by: University of Texas Press
     
  • The Little Saguaro/El Sahuarito (2007)
    More about The Little Saguaro/El Sahuarito
    Illustrator - ISBN: 1-886679-37-5
    Hardcover, 48 pages, full-color
    Bilingual: English/Spanish
    Suitable for ages six to eight

    Winner of the 2010 IPPY (Independent Publisher Book Awards) Bronze Medal for multicultural non-fiction children's books
    Author: Shannon Young
    Published by: Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum
     

 

 
 
Direct Correspondence to:Kim Duffek
 
Kim Duffek
c/o Kanoa
PO Box 86691
Tucson, AZ
USA 85754-6691
Tel: 520 743 7905
  Worldwide Nature Artists Group
Email: kanoasart@mac.com
Kim Duffek Kim Duffek

 
All rights reserved. All images and text © Copyright 2024 Kim Duffek - Member of the Artists for Conservation Foundation (Formerly the Worldwide Nature Artists Group) www.natureartists.com. This site represents the original artwork
(nature art and wildlife art) of nature artist and wildlife artist
of Kim Duffek and is protected by international copyright laws.
Use of nature art, wildlife art or any other images or text from this site, requires permission in writing from Kim Duffek (Kanoa).

This site is part of the Artists for Conservation (AFC) Web site. (Wildlife Art - Nature Art - Conservation) Artists for Conservation is an international, non-profit organization dedicated to nature art, wildlife art and conservation. On this site you will find world-class nature art and wildlife art by today's leading nature artists & wildlife artists. The AFC site is the Web's premier location for nature art, wildlife artists All content appearing in pages featuring Kim Duffek is the sole responsibility of Kim Duffek. The opinions expressed on these artists' pages are those of Kim Duffek and do not necessarily reflect those of the Artists for Conservation Foundationi (AFC).