Artist: Karen Goetzinger of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Interview 113: Karen will be exhibiting the installation A State of Transparency in the 2014 World of Threads Festival.
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Biography
Karen Goetzinger is an award-winning artist who after residing in Wisconsin, Minnesota and New York, currently lives in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Fashion Design with an emphasis in Fine Arts. Since 2004 she has taught at the Ottawa School of Art and is also a tutor to private fibre art students. Her roots in couture construction, her past quilt making, and her passion for the urban landscape influence Karen's finely detailed mixed media textile constructions.
Mike Taylor, director of the Trinity Art Gallery at the Shenkman Arts Centre in Ottawa, has said, "It's the multidimensional approach that makes Karen's work pop. She is meticulous in her composition; she has a terrific understanding of tone."
Her installation A State of Transparency was shown at the world's largest art prize competition, ArtPrize 2011. Her works have been exhibited by public and private galleries throughout North America, in Times Square, New York, hang in private and corporate collections and are featured in 500 Art Quilts (Lark Books a division of Sterling Publishing Co. Inc.). She is a recipient of a 2012 ARTicipate Endowment Fund project grant and was recently unanimously elected to the Arts Ottawa East, Board of Directors. Karen's website
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Artist: Karen Goetzinger. |
Tell us about your work?
My work has changed over the past few years. Formerly, I worked with fabric, stitch and found objects such as bits of metal. There was a strong connection to the quilt tradition in my work then. In 2010-11 a shift commenced as I experimented with ways to mount the textile pieces and began to paint the backgrounds of stretched canvas to use as a support for my mixed media textile constructions. The paint, which started out as simple borders, became a more integrated part of my work with each new work, and I soon found I was using as much paint as I was using fabric and that sometimes there was more paint than fabric. This and my self-imposed challenge to use a minimal number of mediums, led to where I am now, using only thread (and sometimes bits of collaged fabric) and acrylic paint on large stretched canvas. I find that through the slow process of sketching on the canvas and then stitching the images by hand, I am able to contemplate and sometimes expand my ideas for a particular piece. Layers of new meaning are often revealed with each unhurried step and deliberate stitch.
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A State of Transparency, site-specific installation, pima cotton organdy, Pojagi. Photo: Cristiane Doherty. |
Which is your favourite fibre medium, what other mediums do you work in, and how does this inform your fibre work?
I can't say that I have a favourite fibre medium. I view the plethora of choices as tools in my toolbox. Not every DIY project at home requires every tool. You may not always need a Philips screwdriver or a coping saw and so it is with fibre. I have to assess which medium is going to best express my idea. With the thread and acrylic paint that I am using in my current series, I am able to achieve the feeling of an image that has faded–there but not completely gone or forgotten.
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A State of Transparency, site-specific installation, pima cotton organdy, Pojagi. Photo: Karen Goetzinger. |
What is the most interesting thing to you about the world of fibre art?
The variety of the work– from massive to minuscule, basketry to art quilts, tapestries, felted pieces, and works on paper (just to mention a few practices). To see the work is to realize that the possibilities for subject matter and use of the fibre medium are endless. It is exciting and stimulating.
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A State of Transparency, site-specific installation, pima cotton organdy, Pojagi. Photo: Karen Goetzinger. |
What specific historic artists have influenced your work?
I think everything we see influences us somehow at some time, which makes it hard to make a clear-cut list of influential artists. I can remember when I was 18 being physically moved by a piece of art for the first time. It was American artist, Winslow Homer's (1836-1910) painting, After the Hurricane and it was then I realized the emotional power art could have. British artist J M W Turner (1775-1851) comes to mind for his brilliant portrayal of light. Oh, to have that level of mastery of paint! Before my current Vanishing Point series, my work was heavily influenced by two artists who probably wouldn't be considered "historic" but they are Austrian born artist Hundertwasser (1920-2000) and Hans Hoffman (1880-1966) both for their use of colour. Hans Hoffman was born in Germany but worked and taught in New York. And really, I could list many more who's work I am quite taken with and I am sure has some sort of influence on my work even if I cannot specifically point to it.
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A State of Transparency, site-specific installation, pima cotton organdy, Pojagi. Photo: Karen Goetzinger. |
Through your art, are you attempting to evoke particular feelings in your audience?
Art is and should be quite personal, but I would hope that my work resonates in some way – that the imagery will be compelling and give the viewer an escape from life's exigencies, if only for a moment. I realize that not everyone will be drawn to or even like my work – that is part of the great subjective nature of art, but with my current work perhaps contemplation of a piece will elicit a personal memory for the observer. It may be sad, it may be a joyous event, maybe a recollection of elation, comfort, or peace.
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A State of Transparency, site-specific installation, pima cotton organdy, Pojagi. Photo: Karen Goetzinger. |
From where do you get your inspiration?
I love the vivacity of urban life: the sights, the lights, the play of light on the buildings, the architecture itself, the sounds, the bustle, the colours and textures. Currently, I have been exploring parting thoughts and vanishing memories. Storytelling often comes from our memories. Not too long ago, my mom gave me little shopping bags full of my dad's 35mm slides of Europe, taken on business trips in the late 50's--early 60's. It seemed a perfect fit to use his fading image stories as inspiration for my work. So, as disparate as it may sound, I am combining the passion for urban life with the idea of fading memories. As palpable details of life events and places grow dim over time, we often strive to reach through the mist of memory to reminisce and keep possession of even the smallest thread of sentiment. Time in our minds seems to stand still, but time and thus our surroundings, particularly in a vibrant urban setting, are ever changing. It is the mental and physical layering of memories frozen in time and the ever-changing city that intrigues me.
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A State of Transparency, site-specific installation, pima cotton organdy, Pojagi. Photo: Karen Goetzinger. |
What specific contemporary artists have influenced your work?
The linear quality, architectural drawings, and layering of sheer geometric colour in the work of New York artist, Julie Mehretu, who was born in Ethiopia; the incredible mark making of Dorothy Caldwell; American abstract expressionist painter, Richard Pousette-Dart (1916-1992) – especially his white series; all for the their mastery of the quality of the line; a simple element of design so expertly executed through multiple varied strokes.
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A State of Transparency, site-specific installation, pima cotton organdy, Pojagi. Photo: Karen Goetzinger. |
When you were a child, did you want to become an artist and did your parents encourage your creativity?
I can remember at the age of 12 drawing fashion designs every night, lying on the floor of my bedroom. My dad had this fabulous set of coloured pencils–a box with three drawers of pure pigment delight! He would let me use them and he supplied me with stacks of cast-off paper from his business. A friend of mine and I would share our illustrations the next day at school. Maybe not really art but I think that nightly practice set the path for a life of artistic expression.
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A State of Transparency, site-specific installation, pima cotton organdy, Pojagi. Photo: Karen Goetzinger. |
Please explain how you developed your own style and how do you describe your art to people?
I have always sketched and painted but the development of my work in fibre was a slow process. In the mid 90's I started to dabble at quilting and soon was working in earnest, encouraged by a woman I met at a local quilt guild. She was creating quilts unlike the rest of the group of traditional quilters. I was intrigued to see what her next piece would be. Because of her and another woman I met through a friend a few years later, I had a great aha moment, realizing that textiles, quilting specifically at that time, could be used as artistic expression.
Since my university degree is in fashion design with an emphasis in fine arts, you would think I would have made that connection quickly. Slow learner I guess! So, the experimentation began.
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A State of Transparency, site-specific installation, pima cotton organdy, Pojagi. Photo: Karen Goetzinger. |
Where did this experimentation lead you?
As I mentioned before, at first my work was strongly connected to the quilt tradition, as the technique I used most often was hand appliqué. I loved the handwork – still do! With each new quilt, I stepped further away from the patterns and compositions of traditional quilts. At that time I was heavily influenced by historic Japanese art and fine craft. I worked in this manner for a few years before a dramatic change occurred and I began work on what ended up to be my City of Dreams series. Fuelled by life in an urban setting it consisted, like a city itself, of layers of fast paced activity, colours and of marked time through the unhurried process of applying acrylic paint, thread and found pieces of metal to multiple bits of fabric. Just as a city is a synthesis of disparate parts, my practice of layering and piecing cloth on cloth, paint on paint and thread over thread, resulted in lively fibre mosaics.
And now, beginning slowly in 2010, my work has taken another turn. I coined the phrase mixed media textile constructions to describe my work. This rather nebulous term allows me the freedom to not be associated with a specific manner of fibre discipline. For instance, while I was working on the brightly coloured urban themed wall pieces, I also began work on A State of Transparency, an installation piece. I believe the amount of contemplation time I had while assembling each large panel of this ongoing work, has brought me to my current work. The initial concept for the installation originated as I listened to news reports of people's desire for transparency in government. That made me think about our own lives. Are we totally transparent? Would we want to live in a completely transparent city? But as I was bringing to life the city through the ethereal, monochrome panels, it became for me more than just the idea of transparency. Transparency and shadow became a metaphor for the projection of the imprint of urban landscapes on individual memory and the transient elements of our memories. Those ideas continue to be expressed in my current work.
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A State of Transparency, site-specific installation, pima cotton organdy, Pojagi. Photo: Karen Goetzinger. |
What other fibre artists are you interested in?
The thread installations of Chiharu Shiota, who was born in Japan and currently lives and works in Berlin, Germany. What she does with one seemingly simple element is quite extraordinary.
Korean artist Do Ho Suh for his absolutely amazing work with transparent fabric. I discovered his work while I was working with cotton organdy for my installation, A State of Transparency.
My contemporaries and colleagues Wendy Feldberg (Ottawa, Ontario) and Carmella Karijo Rother (Chelsea, Quebec) for their resolve and dedication to their work. They inspire me to get into the studio every day. I respect their judgment and appreciate the loving kick in the derrière they sometimes give me!
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A State of Transparency, site-specific installation, pima cotton organdy, Pojagi. Photo: Karen Goetzinger. |
How did you initially start showing your work in galleries?
The idea was quite daunting when I began to answer calls for entry. I wasn't even sure what the difference was between a bio and an artist's statement, so I had to figure that out first and then get them written. I started with some group shows in small public galleries, comfort in numbers I think, but also began to look for galleries that were "fibre friendly" and where I felt comfortable. I would build a relationship with the gallery owner by attending openings at the gallery whenever possible. That helped me get to know not just the gallery owner but also the artists the gallery represented as well as the local arts community. This search led me to small galleries in small towns not too far from home. When I had a few group exhibitions under my belt and my work was being represented by a couple of small galleries, I joined forces with two colleagues and we put together an exhibition that travelled for about two years to public galleries throughout Ontario. That exhibition was a great confidence builder for all three of us. We learned a lot about the business of art and soon we were exhibiting on our own.
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Archive, 36" x 48", Thread and acrylic on stretched canvas, embroidery. Photo: Meghan Brondos. |
What did you learn from this?
I continue to seek other opportunities for representation. That means doing my homework when looking for galleries and exhibition spaces so that I am working with curators and gallery owners who are excited about mixed media fibre, are adept at hanging cohesive shows with beautifully executed works, whether group (all fibre or mixed) or solo and who have an eye for details and a penchant for promotion. Internet searches make the homework so much easier. A gallery's website makes clear to me what type of art they represent and whether my work is a good fit and what their submission standards are.
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Archive, 36" x 48", Thread and acrylic on stretched canvas, embroidery. Photo: Karen Goetzinger. |
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Archive, 36" x 48", Thread and acrylic on stretched canvas, embroidery. Photo: Karen Goetzinger. |
Tell us about your studio and how you work:
It is a very small efficient space carved out in the basement of our home. Although, I confess I tend to commandeer other areas in the main part of the house, where I can see the light of day! For instance, I recently set up a "drawing studio" in a spare bedroom, I will work in our dining room which has great natural light and a large expandable table, and in summer I love to work in my "outside studio" on our deck. The one downfall of a home studio is the distractions of family responsibilities; the upside of a home studio is being able to go to work at anytime. I will often work in the early morning in my jammies, totally losing track of time and realizing at 1 in the afternoon that I have not showered, touched a comb to my hair or even attempted to get "dressed for the day." I am always up by around 7 a.m. Coffee gets made first! Then off to the computer to do some administrative work, while my mind is still somewhat clear for those sort of details. When my husband gets up we will spend a bit of time over a cup of coffee or two before he heads off to the office and I to the studio to work. I'll break for lunch and then be back at it until about 4 p.m. That is the plan at least. The reality is, it doesn't always play out this way. There are distractions and other responsibilities that frequently have to be addressed. So I really have to make every effort to be focused and not allow the day to slip away without studio time. I know I work best in the studio during the daytime hours. Evenings I will draw, catch up on some art book reading, or knit. I find, for some unexplainable reason, that knitting helps calm down all those images and ideas that are flying though my head and helps me to relax.
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Archive, 36" x 48", Thread and acrylic on stretched canvas, embroidery. Photo: Karen Goetzinger. |
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Archive, 36" x 48", Thread and acrylic on stretched canvas, embroidery. Photo: Karen Goetzinger. |
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Archive, 36" x 48", Thread and acrylic on stretched canvas, embroidery. Photo: Karen Goetzinger. |
What are you working on now?
I continue to work on the Vanishing Point series, using thread and acrylic paint. I am exploring ways to increase the size of each work by using multiple canvases thus making transportation/shipping easier for the collector and me, but I am also in the preliminary stages of experimenting with works on paper.
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Fragments of Recollection, 8" x 10" matted and framed, Linen, silk, cotton, acrylic paint, metal, needle felting embroidery, raw edge Appliqué. Photo: Karen Goetzinger. |
What interests you about the World of Threads festival?
The diversity of artists, all using the medium of fibre in some way. It is a fabulous way to reveal to the public just how skillful fibre artists are when it comes to the mastery of their chosen medium or mediums and that textiles can be used for artistic expression and not just for items that will wear out like our jeans, draperies and armchairs.
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Fragments of Recollection, 8" x 10" matted and framed, Linen, silk, cotton, acrylic paint, metal, needle felting embroidery, raw edge Appliqué. Photo: Karen Goetzinger. |
Do you have any upcoming shows?
2012 and 2013 were crazy busy years! Three solo shows, two trips abroad, including an invitation to teach a week long workshop for Fibre Arts Australia, a wedding and a handful of group shows thrown in as well. So now I must concentrate on seeking new exhibition and representation opportunities, which also means focusing on making new work and building an inventory of it. I do have a number of events pending but unfortunately am not able to give definitive dates at this point. Watch my Facebook page for future shows.
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Archive, 36" x 48", Thread and acrylic on stretched canvas, embroidery. Photo: Karen Goetzinger. |
Is there anything else you would like us to know about you or your work that we have not covered?
My work is currently represented on an on-going basis in North America by Orange Art Gallery, in Ottawa, Ontario and Edgewater Gallery in Middlebury, Vermont. A State of Transparency was recently used as a backdrop to the Tara Luz Danse production of Les Souliers d' Angélie, at the Shenkman Arts Centre in Ottawa. It was an extreme pleasure and honour to be asked to collaborate with them.
I have been invited back to Australia in 2015 to teach for Fibre Art Australia.
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Safe Haven, 16" x 38", Thread and acrylic on stretched canvas, embroidery. Photo: Karen Goetzinger. |
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