Art to me means awareness of self in my environment as both a physical and a spiritual being. For me, art carries the ability to reflect the truth in both the physical and the spiritual aspects of life. These are the scarlet threads that I weave with in creating an artistic visual narrative.
In my current focus on ceramic sculpture, I allow the old art of storytelling to move into the foreground. My sculptures often focus on the female form, the senses of human beings, and the symbolic nature of animals like the lion and the endangered riverine rabbit. I explore these between the different natures of functional art and the sculpture as an absolute object.
I experience a divine privilege during the creative process where the original idea gets morphed into the end result and a humbleness, excitement, and awe upon viewing the finished piece. A type of foundation is built as my art encapsulates the clay medium as something that has foundational value, and also the thought that these creations themselves form a bridge between the physical and spiritual connecting the viewer with the message. These thoughts explore both the structural and the supportive nature of the narrative.
Growing up I experimented with a wide library of creative mediums informally. When my youngest of three boys was one year old, I was awarded the Anton Smit prize for the most upcoming South African artist by the Alette Wessels foundation who spesialised in investment art. I participated in many solo and group exhibitions and my paintings feature in local and international collections.
As an art teacher, hundreds of children and adults have passed through my studio and still do. As an all-around creative, I have exercised discipline in oil painting, performance art (some with the Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra), sculptures, sand painting, creative writing, drawing, writing and directing and presently sculpting
with clay.
Before my current focus on ceramic sculpture I extensively printed images of my original oil paintings onto clothing items and created colorful, fashionable items which were sold locally and internationally.
I was invited as a conference speaker to Thailand, Botswana, the Artist Quarter in Marseilles France, and all over South Africa. I would lead the audience into an exploration of the connection between creativity and spirituality. These experiences gave me another outlook on art beyond the borders of one’s present environment.
I was born in Windhoek Namibia in 1973 but finished all levels of schooling in South Africa.
Contact Karin at
Studio: 2 Jordaan st
Call: 0834099041
terblanchekarin@gmail.com
