Interview with Karen David

WHAT DOES YOUR SCREEN SMELL LIKE?

INTERVIEW WITH ARTIST KAREN DAVID

On a sweltering afternoon dashing about Karen took a few minutes out

Do you think there is a duality in your work between the painting as surface and the painting as object?

To me, they exist in a constant co-dependent disagreement, like an old married couple. The surface telling stories of painterly mystery, while the object reminding the surface of its limitations.

There is a great thoughtfulness in your work; where every element is considered from the exact shape of the geometric stretchers, the perfectly folded corners of the canvas, beautifully applied paint to the placement of the crystals and other objects. If one of these elements is out of place, do you feel the work is unbalanced and therefore failed in some way?                                   There is a lot of process, and like you say, a lot of consideration. I have tried to be more liberal about these decisions, but the end result never feels ‘right’ to me. Other people may not notice these seemingly small details, but I would know they are lacking and my feeling towards the painting would change.

Crystals play a large part in your work. Are they used in a cynical way or are you questioning wider beliefs?

I leave that observation up to the viewer.

Does the physical presence of your art transfer to being seen on a computer screen?

Unless your work is made up of pixels (like text-based or digital photography), being viewed on a computer screen would never really be ‘true’ to any material other than pixels.

How important do you think it is for people to engage with art in the ‘flesh’? Isn’t the internet a fantastic opportunity to access art without ever having to leave home?

To a certain degree you can get the idea of a work by viewing it on the internet, and sometimes that is enough, but at other times there’s nothing like getting close enough to a painting to inspect the surface and edges.

What are your feelings about showing in a raw gallery space such as The Garage? Does the environment in which you exhibit your work change how your work is perceived?

It’s not the space, but what you do with it that counts.

Finally, what does your screen smell like?

Amazingly, I have a ‘special’ pc which smells of whatever my screensaver is. Right now, I can smell meadows.