Since graduate school, design, abstraction, installation, illustration and teaching have all been part of my art experience. In the ‘60s I turned to protest art. In the ‘70s in New England, I moved with my family to the woods. Homesteading became my focus until I saw the incredibly beautiful watercolors of Jack Flynn, an American Watercolor Society artist who I found lived within two miles of me. Then, tragically the death of my 22 year old daughter occurred. She, Leslie, had so much promise as a writer and artist. I decided I had to carry on what she was unable to do.
For the past 40 years I have been creating watercolors. No more protest and abstraction. I turned to rural landscapes. At times I have lightly referred to these paintings as my picture postcards, but more than that I see them as an acknowledgment of the wonder and beauty of this world.
Artist Statement
A painting is to be seen from a distance, not read up close like a book. Its strength must be value. Color, subject and mood all convey its message. Seeing something that gets my attention and being able to translate that into a painting, delights me.
Karin is the author of Playing With Paint, an instructional manual for making art with people who have dementia, published in 2019 and available through Amazon.
In 2021 a friend, Barbara McGuire, made a video for the New Mexico Watercolor Society of Karin demonstrating how she creates a landscape and talking about her journey in life as an artist. It, can be seen by looking for YouTube Art as my Rudder Karin Cook.
