Today we’d like to introduce you to Kari Hall.
Kari, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
Four years ago, I left my job as a graphic designer to pursue painting in a full-time capacity. Even though I studied graphic design, my passion has always been in painting and fine art. I reached a breaking point when I realized that, although graphic design was a creative job, it eventually made me feel restricted and less creative, and that negatively impacted my true passion of painting. While it was difficult to leave behind the stability of a salary, I knew that no amount of money could ever compare to the fulfillment of pursuing my dream. The decision was not made lightly; it took several years for me to emotionally and financially prepare for the change, and to build the courage to admit to myself (and others) that I was capable of seeing it through. I’m extremely grateful to my loving husband, who has given me tremendous amounts of encouragement and support throughout this entire process and continues to do so everyday.
We relocated from Chicago to Houston in early 2016 and have a beautiful two-year-old daughter named Rosie. I love being her mom and I am so grateful to be home with hevery dayday. I am continuously learning how to find balance between our daily routine and creating in my studio. Luckily my studio is in our home in an extra bedroom upstairs, so when I have an open window during her naptime, I am painting as much as I can. Being a mom has made me a stronger artist and I have seen a positive shift in my work.
We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
I paint with a very unique medium: encaustic. Encaustic is a painting method where color-pigmented beeswax is melted, applied to a surface, and reheated to fuse the paint into a smooth or textured finish.
Through the framework of landscape, I paint expressively to unearth meaningful emotions. Guided by my intuition and reflecting on a sense of place, I apply soft, luminous layers of melted beeswax, resin, and pigment to wood panels, building depth and texture. I fuse each layer of encaustic medium with a torch before adding another. By carving, smoothing, and melting, I reveal unique elements of light and color. With its dimensional surface and natural fragrance of organic beeswax, the paintings ignite my sense of touch, smell, and sight, awakening me into a deeper connection with the depths of my spirit.
When others see my work, I hope that they see beauty. I hope it brings joy. My work is how I express myself. All of my hopes, my dreams, and even my fears… my emotions are poured out onto the surface. Creating allows me to be myself and communicate a message to others. As an artist, we are called to create and be true to ourselves. I have a desire to create and have a vision that cannot be silenced.
How can artists connect with other artists?
Being an artist can be isolating especially the world of social media. Being a stay-at-home mom can also be just as isolating so it is very important for me to get out of the house, stay active, and meet new people. Being fairly new to the Houston area, I am always on the hunt for trying new things and searching for places to display my work. I’ve made a lot of great connections by reaching out to people over social media. In my experience, other artists are just as eager as I am to connect and support one another. All you have to do is put yourself and your artwork out there!
Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
While I have shown my work in many galleries (predominantly in Chicago) and in shows around the Houston area, the best way to see my work is on my website or on my Instagram and Facebook accounts. I also stay very busy with custom commissions and have an online shop with many of my current pieces available.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.karihall.com
- Email: kari@karihall.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/karihallstudio/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/karihallstudio
- Other: www.karihall.com/shop
Image Credit:
Kari Hall Studio, LLC
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