Mother, son exhibit art work at Mattapoisett Library

Painting, drawing and other artistic endeavors are part and parcel of the Klim clan.

“There’s a thread of art going through the whole family,” says Libby Klim, who comes from a line of painters and passed the trait on to her kids.

The Mattapoisett-based artist and her son, Bernie Klim Jr., are putting some of their artist on display at the Mattapoisett Library this summer.

Libby grew up in New Bedford where she often had pencils, crayons or paint brushes in hand, even though her mother was originally worried about having a left-handed daughter back when being a southpaw was frowned on.

“In first grade, my mother took me to school and said ‘I have a bit of a problem. I think my daughter is left-handed,’” recalls the now 82-year-old Libby.

When she proved able to write just fine, her teacher let it go, and if she finished her work early, her teachers let her draw. On the weekends, Libby got crayons and new coloring books.

As she grew up, Libby was called on to create artistic posters and other book covers for her school. She went on to study art at Cornell University and later Mills College in California, where she got training in art education.

After a year on the West Coast, she returned to the east to marry Bernie Sr. and start a family. As her kids, Bernie, Cindy and Patricia grew up, art was a consistent part of their lives.

The family lived in New Jersey for a time where Libby found a kindred artist and mother to spur on her creativity.

“In between putting kids to nap, we would paint and chat,” she said.

The Klims later relocated to Massachusetts, where Libby began to sell her enameled copper dishes and jewelry to high-end shops from the mid 60s to 70s.

“It was a very good business,” she said. “I made a lot of money.”

But the advent of plastic lessened the demand for her handmade pieces. In the meantime, she began to study various genres of art at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts and to also teach classes. Through the exposure to more art and artists, she began to enter competitions and win, including one award that took her piece all the way to Japan.

“Would that I could have followed it,” she said.

Bernie Jr. also came into his own with art as he grew up.

“Some kind of art was going on all the time,” said his mother, who used to paint and draw with her kids.

In high school, Bernie became more serious about art and ended up majoring in it in college. His work has since been featured in various exhibits in the Boston area.

Now as an art and special education teacher in Boston Public Schools, he is surrounded by art every day and says his own artistic endeavors are good for his job and life in general.

“I know when I do this kind of stuff, it helps me be a better teacher,” he said. “I really enjoy it. I’m just a lot happier.”

His mother is exhibiting her paintings and collages at the library, and Bernie, his paintings, which he says “have a decorative quality."

"I like landscape painting, recognizable objects.”

The pair is excited to display their work together for the first time.

Said Bernie, “Our work looks good together.”

The exhibit will run through August, and the artists will speak about their work at the library on July 24 from 3 to 5 p.m.

Bernie Klim Jr.’s work can be seen at www.berniekilm.com, and local folks can study art under Libby Klim through a class she co-teaches at the Mattapoisett Council on Aging.