My paintings are a study in contrasts: empty and occupied spaces; light and dark; abstract and representational; Eastern and Western; traditional and contemporary; planned brush strokes with a spontaneous flow of ink; and the simplicity and complexity from the experience of the natural landscape. Working with traditional Xuan paper on canvas, I strive to convey the feeling of the interplay between the landscape and the atmosphere rather than its true visual representation.
Through my paintings I harmonize intentional brush strokes with a natural order or flow. The painting begins to come together when there is a unified balance and rhythm between the unplanned movement of the ink and an intuitive attention to the imagery. My goal is not to replicate an outer realism of a landscape but rather to capture the essence of a mountain range, the depth of water, or the feeling of mist.
With ink and Xuan paper as the foundation to my paintings, I layer a mixture of Western and Eastern techniques to form a cohesive work. I find Chinese ink and Xuan paper the most versatile and expressive of materials to convey a sensory feeling of nature. As my work evolves I continue to invent my own contemporary language using an amalgam of Eastern and Western painting techniques. These meditative reflections on nature explores the simplicity of empty spaces filled with the presence of an imagined landscape.
-Karen M. Krieger
Back to Top