I approach my art from a keen sense of observation. Nothing is more pleasing to me than to wander around the city or the woods looking at details. The texture on the sidewalk or on the bark of a tree. Sewer covers, rats, overflowing ashtrays, flowers, shimmering water all provide the same opportunity for inspiration.
I believe that beauty and design can be found everywhere, even in the most hideous of places. One can say that humans spend endless time trying to copy nature through our structures and design. Living in the city as we do, think of all the plumbing and sewers, and things underground and behind walls that we don't even see that keeps us all functioning as "civilized" humans. The things we take for granted. And so, for me, a sewer cover (btw, someone dedicated their time designing that!) becomes a thing to marvel. And turn into a wallpaper design.
As for my portraits, I enjoy just sitting in silence with my model for a few minutes observing them. Imagining what they are feeling or thinking about. Trying to absorb an energy from them, and project that onto my paper. And the interesting thing about humans, when you stare at their face long enough, is that nothing is even. We are not perfect. And it's that imperfection on which I like to focus. The eyes slightly misaligned, revealing how we all have a slightly cock-eyed view of the world.
New Marlborough in the Berkshires has been a town very dear to my heart for over 40 years. And as an artist, it has provided a great deal of inspiration and solace. Maybe it’s time to buy a plot in the New Marlborough Cemetery and solidify my relationship with this very beautiful place.
Born in Boston, Karina shares her time between NYC and the Berkshires. With a bachelors degree in marketing from Boston University, she honed her art skills from such institutions as The Art Students League of New York, Fashion Institute of Technology, The National Arts Club, the Lower East Side Printshop, and with help from a few precious art mentors along the way.