Interview with Karine Grazia
Karine Grazia (b.1986) is a freelance artist who lives and works in Italy and Estonia.
In 2011 she graduated with a degree in interior architecture.
Karine paints abstracts with acrylics.
When creating her work, it is important for her to take into account the interior where the order goes. She desires to create an ideal environment, where people would feel comfortable. A picture on the wall can create a completely new feeling in the room. Since she has studied interior architecture, this is where it is possible to combine the two parts. The result is exactly what she wants to achieve through art.
You started expressing your creativity at a very young age, even drawing on your room's wallpaper. Do you believe your childhood significantly influenced your path as an artist? •I believe my childhood has in every way influenced my path as an artist. Role models like parents, teachers and friends have a big effect on a child's self-identity. Many of our emotional ties, and even our relationships with money, people and art are influenced by our childhood experiences. I had a very happy childhood and yes, my parents supported our creativity by allowing me and my brother to draw on the walls of our room or for example giving us the tools to build a disco ball.
With a background in interior architecture and a passion for painting and drawing, how do you blend these two disciplines in your work?
I became more interested in interior architecture 20 years ago when I started visiting Italy often and saw very different home designs than we had in Estonia. I thought how cool it would be to mix our modern interior with the widely used antique furniture of Italy. I have always painted or drawn as a hobby. Over the years, I have come to understand that the process, rhythm and result of the artist's profession are right for me and I decided to start devoting more and more of my time to it. These two fields are very intertwined for me. For commissioned works, I always take into account the interior where my painting will "live". There have also been clients who choose paintings in my studio and then we go together to see where to display them in their home.
You mentioned enjoying the flow, movement, and development in your work, leading to various styles in your portfolio. How has your artistic style evolved over the years?
It is almost as not going with the flow but being the flow. Creating that stream and current with every new painting and project. I have most experience working with acrylics. Few years ago I experimented more. I would apply a thick layer of paint on the canvas, leaving the painting to dry in a warmer-than-average room which caused the paint to crack. I then covered it with epoxy to protect the cracked paint. The result was quite cool. Lately I mix choral and acrylics.
Can you walk us through your creative process when starting a new piece, especially how you consider the interior space where your art will be displayed?
All parts of my creative process are enjoyable. The good thing about an artist's "work" is that, in general, everything goes according to its own rhythm. When someone submits an order with their criteria and we discuss it, I visualize what the painting will be like or how intensive a certain color will be represented to make it match with the colors of the interior.
You work with abstracts using acrylics and also create minimalist drawings. How do you decide which approach to take for a new artwork, and what inspires your choice between abstraction and minimalism?
I create art for art's sake to exalt taste, to pursue beauty, and self-expression over moral expectations. So I basically do as I feel like. I have generally avoided any clear storyline or message. Instead I strive to evoke a mood, explore color harmony. Lately mixing the two approaches.
You sometimes cover your works with epoxy for a different effect. What does this add to your artwork?
I didn’t expect this, but I saw in my last exhibition that it kind of adds a “wow” effect to the paintings. A lot of people asked me about it. I used epoxy to protect and preserve the cracked paint in some of my paintings or to make it seem like water was running on it.
What has been the most challenging for you in your work, and how did you overcome the challenges associated with it?
The most challenging for me has been the time when a bigger project or exhibition ends. Then to move forward from that and start another from the beginning. To overcome it and not to stay sitting and waiting I create an every day routine for myself that also includes time in my atelier and definitely longer walks outside when I make new plans.
You mentioned your desire to leave beauty behind and share harmony through your art. What do you hope your viewers feel or experience when they see your pieces?
I hope and I have seen that for everyone a different kind of story unfolds. People often see scenes or emotions from their own life. I wish that over the years they would discover new nuances in my paintings that they can continue to connect to their lives as it proceeds.
Looking ahead, what are some goals or projects you are excited about in your artistic journey?
I am dreaming of a little pop-up gallery in Modena for this spring. Also thinking of participating in the Contemporary Art Fairs in Europe, maybe in Zurich or Barcelona in April.
