MY STORY

Karen BIlgrai Cohen

As a young child I was deeply moved and fascinated by the shifting patterns of nature. At five I remember gently parting the soft inner branches of a thuja to find a shocking red cluster of ladybugs, their secret home revealed. I loved to watch the behaviors of insects and birds, noticing how their movements filter the sunlight and form elusive shifting shadows.

I have a degree in ceramics and the history of art. I am influenced by Japanese artist Shoji Hamada whose work expresses both elegance and imperfection, mystery and revelation. In my work I treasure the symmetry of a feather against the tangled knot of Spanish moss. I am delighted by the sharp arch of a beak creating a cascade of droplets upon piercing the surface of water.

What is most important, however, what drives me from my home in the dark mornings is the experience of witnessing the natural cycles of life. The tenderness of two birds carefully harvesting nesting materials and tirelessly caring for their young. I will wait patiently for hours to see the male white-tailed kite dangle a fresh vole to be plucked mid-air by his partner. I laugh at the bubbly display of the ruddy duck as he strikes his chest to attract a suitable female. I hope to make images that convey the emotional intimacy of scent, touch and sound between a mother fox and her kits.

I wish to paint with color and light to illuminate this hidden world, hoping to catch that instant where the ordinary is elevated to the extraordinary. I hope my images will surprise and connect the viewer with our natural world and evoke emotional sense of protection for what is precious and fleeting.