My newest piece, Sol is now finished. It is made of my grandmother’s jewelry, handmade watercolor, a fused glass leaf (made in my studio) and 24k gold. She represents the sun and is a counterpart to Luna.
So, really I am at day 70! I just haven’t had time to sit and type them up and upload photographs. I have been so busy completing my first collection of jewelry. And here it is! Please take a look, and let me know what you think.
Don't let the glitter deter you. These pieces are elegant, delicate, and special. Each sparkle represents the magic in nature. My work is supposed to represent things we see everyday that we often over look. I want these pieces to remind you how special our natural world is.
My pendants are finally going into the electroform bath today! I am SO excited. After a year of experimentation, I will finally be able to release a real collection of jewelry. Each of these pieces encapsulates a little bit of my heart and soul. I can’t wait to share them with you!
Product Range! My work ranges in a variety of formats. I consider all of them paintings, though. I make them tiny, small, and big. I will have an entire line of tiny paintings that are encased in glass as pendants. Swipe to see a #wip preview! I am also working on a series of mono-printed cards. It is important to me that everything I sell is handmade by myself. I always use gold leaf, glass, and my special handmade inks in my work. . .
My tools and materials are seriously out of control. I make my own paints with traditional and non traditional pigments. So, I collect things to use in my paints. I also have a screen printing studio and I do electroforming. So there’s a lot more going on than what is in these photos. Once I finish organizing (I just moved my studio), I will do a video of the space!
I am back! I have been off my game. No, I have just been busy with life stuff. It was Brennan’s birthday on Saturday. It is my husband’s birthday tomorrow. I have been busy planning, preparing, and then cleaning up the messes. It has been fun. But I miss my studio and my old routine.
By the time I get in the studio it is late at night, and I am too tired and busy to write. I miss it, though. So, I will make it a priority this week.
I took time off from teaching when I had my children. My son is going to be 3 on Saturday (happy birthday Brennan!). Now, I am thankfully, very, very busy painting, so I don’t plan on going back to teaching until my space is finished and I can teach out of my own studio. My hope is to have a space in two years. I have already found a builder. I just need to get the show on the road!
I do have room for 1 or 2 private students at this time. Please visit my website and fill out the apprenticeship application if you are interested. No prior experience needed. Only dedication and a love for art. (https://alexakarabin.com/apply-for-apprenticeship/)
If you haven’t seen my studio in a while, it is because it is a huge mess. I don’t understand these artists’ profiles that are so pristine and perfect. I think they have professional photographers come over after they have cleaned out everything in their studios. It just doesn’t seem real to me. My studio is like a mad-scientists lab. There are things everywhere. No matter how hard I try to stay tidy, in the moment of creation, nothing else matters. Then night comes and I am too tired to clean up, just to make a mess the next day.
My painting studio is tiny. It is less than 10’x10’. It consists of two drafting tables, two work benches, shelves, flat files, and stacks of things. There isn’t a lot of room to move around. I have a larger space in my basement that is dedicated to framing, packaging, and storage. I am saving my money right now to build a large space on my property, so I can take on more students and teach workshops. This will hopefully happen within the next two years.
Artist/makers, do you have any cleaning /organizing tips?
These pigment prints are printed on handmade paper that I make myself. They will be shipped in 2 weeks time from ordering. If you need something by a specific date, email me and I will try to speed up the process.
The 11’’x14’ and 17’’x22’’’ are statement pieces! I have to recommend one of those. But I want to make prints affordable, so I have smaller sizes. Please note that detail is lost the smaller the print. This is a limited edition pigment print on handmade paper. Based off of my painting the Nest.
Prints are signed and each one is one of a kind due to the nature of the handmade paper.
Prints can come matted and ready to fit in a standard size frame.
5’’x7’’ / 8’’x10’’ Double Mat
8’’x10’’ / 11’’x14’’ Double Mat
11’’x14’’ / 16’’x20’’ Mat
(New!) 17’’x22’’ /24x36’’ Mat
Statement for the Nest:
First, there was the Deer. A painting that was inspired by an incident that involved a deer that was shot on my property, and the subsequent months that followed, watching the animal return to the earth. When only fur was left, I collected some, but left most of it. The day after I collected the fur, a giant oak tree fell on where the body once rested. Months later, in early spring, the pandemic had started and I spent more than a month inside. Scared. Finally, I forced myself to go outside and explore the woods. And that is when I found it. A bird had made a nest out of deer fur! The Deer’s fur. This piece was inspired by the feelings I had at that moment of discovery.
Using a variety of techniques, I create artworks that explore themes of natural history, historical occurrence, memory, and cycles. My materials are found and handmade—my most precious material is my grandmother’s antique jewelry that I crush and use to make handmade watercolors. This piece also includes rubies, emeralds, 24k gold, deer fur, geodes, and glass.
View the original: https://youtu.be/1aG3WBkRUIk