Karen Stiglich

Most of my artwork is figurative abstract, featuring mostly female figures or depicting couples, both male and female. The theme is to project an emotion or feeling at a specific moment in time that the viewer can interpret in relation to their own experiences and present situation.

People in general are fascinating to me. I take random photos of people wherever I go and try to capture the special spark I saw in that moment and bring it into my art.

I paint in acrylic, using tissue paper, wrapping paper, copper foil, and gold foil when creating mixed-media pieces. I will paint and repaint until I have a result that I like. Then, depending on the size of the canvas, I will take it to the kitchen sink or outside and use a hose to scrub most of the paint off, leaving behind impressions. I then start rebuilding the image until I like it again.

This process gives me the layering and uneven textures that I quite like. It also creates happy accidents, which are often the best part. Sometimes a piece just flows, and I like it too much to scrub it down and start again.

I will occasionally purchase preprinted canvases from Goodwill or a consignment shop and paint over them, leaving a bit of the original print visible beneath the new paint. These are fun because it is not always obvious where the piece is going.

When I find myself confronting the question, “What am I doing?” I tell myself to just do something. Simply putting some paint on the canvas gets me started and allows the work to lead me wherever it is going.