Karin Friedli - 2023
Karin paints in response to her daily walks with her dog, in the British countryside, interpreting the landscape in an emotional rather than a representational way. Her paintings explore an emotional connection to nature - whether tranquillity and calm or energy and rejuvenation. She is moved by the way light falls on land, by the vastness and lines created by open spaces, the changing seasons and how weather transforms the mood of a place. This provides her visual stimulation exploring what it means to be human, reflecting on our struggles and how quiet contemplation can achieve a sense of place, and wonder.
Her approach to her paintings is experimental. She relishes the visceral engagement of the surfaces of her paintings by getting her hands dirty. Using mixed media on canvas, board or paper, she expresses her emotions and feelings to the landscape by using strong value contrasts, variations in texture, fluctuating amounts of detail, and free mark making. She abstracts forms, lines and textures from photographs, sketches and visual memory. Through multiple layers, the rawness of the landscape is revealed and what lies beneath. Her colours are muted reflecting earth tones with small jewels of saturated colour reflecting the light and mood of the place. She works on her paintings until she is satisfied she has created a painting that resonates a sense of serenity and solace.
She has completed numerous art courses as well as workshops with contemporary landscape artists, such as Lewis Noble and Anthony Garratt. She exhibits regularly at fairs including the Contemporary Art Fairs and the Fresh Art Fair in Cheltenham. She recently has had two paintings selected for the Society of Women Artists, which will be exhibited at the Mall Galleries in London from 6th to 10th June 2023. She is represented by the Flint Gallery in Blakeney, Norfolk and the Hadfield Fine Art in the Cotswolds.