Kathleen Karlsen:
Biography
Kathleen Karlsen was born in 1961 and grew up in a large, busy family that placed a high value on both academic and creative pursuits. As the daughter of a career military officer, she moved repeatedly as a child. Art and music were pursuits that brought a comforting level of stability to her life.
Karlsen graduated from The College of William and Mary in Virginia with a bachelor's in studio art in 1987. For the next ten years, she taught art part-time while working at a retreat and conference center. During that time she met and married her husband Andrew, a native Norwegian. In 1997, Karlsen returned to school and completed a master's degree in art (humanities) from California State University. Since then she has been working full-time as a professional artist, a creative arts educator and a web design consultant. Karlsen currently lives in Bozeman, Montana with her husband and five children.
Kathleen Karlsen: Artist Statement
"Although I spent endless hours on art as a child, I planned to go into a career in medicine. My plans changed when I was in my late teens. I began to see that life was more than the physical challenges of health and illness. Some things can hurt more than broken bones--shattered relationships, broken dreams, substance abuse, violence, poverty and hopelessness.
I went on a spiritual quest that took me through all kinds of religions and philosophies. Eventually I began to appreciate the fact that art is a universal language that can bring comfort, healing, inspiration and joy to others.
My central focus in my work is on conveying vibrancy and joy through the visual language of art. I seek to create art that is connected to the natural world around us and yet transcends that world. I believe that the power of art is more than the depiction of objective, physical reality. The real power of art is really the energy or feelings embodied in a particular visual image.
I see art and beauty as having a major impact on human life. I believe that art has tremendous practical as well as aesthetic value. There is plenty of research showing that art can help heal hospital patients, increase learning rates in classrooms and improve productivity in work places. To me, art is a source of comfort that enhances the entire process of living. The arts are a very tangible way to communicate love. Ultimately, that's what life is all about."
For more about Kathleen's art, see News and Art Techniques.
Stephen Boone: Artist Statement
Chinese Brush Painting
"I was first attracted to Chinese brush painting because it looked easy.
My mistake.
I have remained attracted to Chinese brush painting because of the sublime challenge it offers. The discipline of Chinese brush painting will not allow for corrections to be made after a brush stroke is committed to paper. This is not an arbitrary rule; the media itself will show corrections in the final product. It is literally impossible to make corrections or fix mistakes. What this means is that each and every stroke of the brush must be delivered with the goal of absolute perfection. The mind must be still. The hand must be steady. The heart must be pure, and the aim must be true. The Chinese brush painter cannot afford to be indecisive. The Chinese brush painter is an utterly confident creature.
As a result of creating demonstration paintings at art shows I was asked to teach what I knew by those observing me. My growth as a brush painter has been exponential as a result of my teaching. I have found true joy as I have shared moments of understanding with my students. To see the glow of enlightenment surround a person who has overcome a challenge and know I help them to achieve it is truly humbling.
I find that Chinese brush painting is larger than I thought. The more I learn about it, the smaller I get and it becomes more and more important to do well. Brush painting has been handed down from teacher to student for thousands of years. There is a responsibility to the teachers who have come before me as well as those that I teach to be the best that I can at what I do. The better I get at brush painting the more I have to work to get better.
Sublime indeed."
Stephen Boone:
Chinese Brush Painting Techniques
By Ning Yeh, Ph.D.
Adapted By Kathleen Karlsen, MA
"The enchantment of Chinese brush painting is in every phase intertwined with the entire sphere of Chinese culture. Never is a flower merely a flower nor scenery merely a place in China. Each has its legends, romantic stories, volumes of poetry and literature, remarkable deeds recorded by remarkable personalities and symbolic spirituality.
To paint a subject, artists cannot help but immerse themselves into all the fascinating background which is an integral part of the total cultural existence of the Chinese mind. To study a subject withour knowing it's background, on has only scratched the surface. To enjoy Chinese brush painting is to enjoy the total depth of a splendid civilization.
The Hsieh I painting style, in its "throw ink" expression, is one of the most dynamic forms of art. Spontaneity, freedom and honesty are some of the most important principles. The painting is done without a sketch, and the brush movement is completed in a simple, powerful, and speedy way. The artist is allowed no time to think, no chance topretend, no room to hide and no way to correct. The art form becomes a direct extension of the artist's mentality; it reveals the personality and experiecne of the artist in the most earnest way."
©2008 Living Arts Enterprises LLC
References:
Yeh, Ning. An Album of Chinese Brush Painting: Eighty Paintings and Ideas. Huntington Beach, CA: Ning Yeh's Art Studio, 1986.
For Chinese brush painting supplies, please visit:
http://www.orientalartsupply.com
Theresa McNicholas: Artist Statement
Coming soon!
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