Beginner's - ArtTrader Magazine

Art TRADER
m a g a z i n e
You have traveled a great deal. Where have you been and how have these places inspired you and
your work?
Karen: Traveling has been my first passion for more than 25 years! I just love discovering new cultures, new
faces, new landscapes, new colors and smells, new habits, new sounds from the languages and dialects.
Every single trip gives me a lesson of humility, and enlarges the spirit. I have been traveling in every single
country of Asia, from Japan to the Philippines, China to Indonesia, Nepal to Australia and New Zealand,
South Korea to Thailand, and I kept from these wonderful trips some feelings, some images that, for sure,
inspires my work today! I guess the most obvious influence I got from my traveling around Asia was India.
I felt in love with this country, so rich in colors, fragrances, ancestral culture; such a rich heritage! When
you see all the colors, the embellishments and embroidery of the saris of the women, the traditional outfit, it
brings you into another world of wonders. The 1001 Nights, Ali Baba and the Magic Lamp, the grandeur of
the Marahajahs, and the Taj Mahal. All my series of Shisha embroideries have a direct link with my last trip to
Rajasthan; it is obvious! This is the most specific influence I got from my intense traveling. Other than that,
I keep in mind a much more blurred, diffuse feeling from my trips that also influences my art. I am thinking
about the colors in general, the brightness of the landscapes and flowers, the traditional Dances from Bali or
Thailand, the terrific sky’s density after a tropical rain. All these visual elements make me want my pieces to
appear bright and alive! This is why I make a lot of use of glass beads and sequins that reflect light. As soon
as you make a move in front of my work, it changes because the reflection of the light gives a movement
to the whole piece. We cannot see it in pictures because they are static, but my fiber art is very much alive
when you can approach it. I like this idea of the observer having an interaction with my work, playing with
the light together!
Color and composition play a really important role in your art. Do you plan these carefully, or do you
work with them more intuitively?
Karen: As I just said, I like the idea of interaction between the observer and my work. In the same way,
I like my work to stimulate the imagination of the watcher. How? I only do abstract art, where, off course,
composition andcolors are everything! I like to think that when looking at my work, people will be lead to
imagine their own little story, they might slide into sweet memories and dream to something that makes them
happy. I am myself very much sensitive to colors, especially warm tones. They make me feel good, they
move me or hypnotize me depending of my mood! I am very intuitive in my work, to answer your question!
I never know what it will look like at the end. So, let me tell you how I proceed exactly when I start a new
piece.
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