Karen Silve

b. Springfield, IL

Silve’s intuitive and deliberate acrylic paintings unfold through layers of lush colors, aggressive brushwork, and drips pushing and pulling off the sides of her canvases. Her paintings are based on momentary synaesthetic impressions of interactions with nature; a synergy of the amorphous profusion of Silve’s surroundings.

In her studio, Silve begins by painting layers of color. She then photographs the work and digitally manipulates the image experimenting with color and composition. She then returns to the canvas with the digital sketch in mind, repeating this process several times in the course of creating a single work.

Apparent in Silve’s work is her love of the Abstract Expressionist era, drawing inspiration from figures such as Joan Mitchell, Cy Twombly, and Gerhard Richter. Silve seeks to inform her work with a more structuralist appreciation of the strength and power of nature, thinking about these works as sketches of a mind-and-bodily contact with a nature.

 

cv statement

From My Window

Green Space

Hope II

Cherry Blossoms II

Pink Ripples