Karen Sjoholm

Oakland, California

Chirp

Suminagashi, gouache, Rives BFK, text: typewriter

7¼ x 4½ x ¾

© 2013

edtion size: 5 variable

$800

This work was inspired by my love of nature and by the book The Field Guide to Western Birds by Roger Tory Peterson. His translations of bird “voices” that became the text for the art work provided great entertainment (I would sing them out loud). The black silhouettes of bird shapes that make up the images are used to identify birds in the field. Although I struggled with some of the cards that became mine to work with, I found that I was led into new areas of exploration that widened my creative process.

Ideation Cards:

technique: hand drawn and/or painted

layout: centered on the page

paper: single color

text: stream of consciousness, free write, or rant

image: found image

color: muted or pastel

structure: unbound

adjectives: simple, decorative, whimsical, miniature, photographic

Karen Sjoholm is an artist and educator who is currently Chair of the Arts & Consciousness program at John F. Kennedy University in Berkeley, California. She teaches academic and studio courses that explore the sources, inspirations, and applications of creative vision. Sjoholm’s art work, which includes artists’ books, installation, ceramics, and mixed-media is focused on issues of memory, spirituality, nature, and culture. Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally.