This week, we're putting the spotlight on Karol Bobb. Karol says that art has always been a part of her in one form or another. She was a musician who loved how words could paint a picture and invoke such emotion. She started playing the guitar around the age of 14 and it was a place she could go and be in the zone so to speak. She liked writing her own music and found great pleasure in the words. Karol played with several bands as she got older, but as time went on it just didn’t fit her schedule of raising a family which was another passion of hers. She soon found art instilled those same emotions of love, wonder, sadness, and joy she felt with music. When she was creating, be it in oil, acrylic, pastel or mixed media, time stood still. She was back in the zone!
Here's what Karol had to say about her art...
What medium do you prefer and why?
I always admired handmade silver jewelry as a child. I don’t know why but there you are. After taking some art classes at a university near me, I decided to learn silversmithing. I studied silver soldering and design at the Taos School of Metalsmithing and Design in New Mexico. I absolutely loved it.
I work in many media. I think a lot of artists do these days. We no longer feel we have to stay with any one medium or style. For me, it’s about loving what I am working on. Finding a moment in life that brings me pleasure, peace, or a sense of saying something I feel is important. I have found working in mixed media a great pleasure and have incorporated metals into many of my pieces.
My latest pieces are able to speak to the plight of the buffalo. To my delight, they have returned in abundance, largely due to programs sponsored by our national parks. Most often you will hear them referred to as “Bison.” I am told the Native Americans still call them “buffalo” All this being good news, their history of near distinction bears thought.
What inspires or motivates you to create your art and what does your art mean to you?
So many things inspire me to create. A culture, a landscape, an emotion. Life in itself is a wonder and to capture a moment in time, is humbling. What it means to me is belonging. A sense of being where I should be.
What makes your art unique?
I think everyone's art is unique. I truly do. It is a piece of them and is as unique as they themselves are.
If you'd like to see more of Karol's art, please visit the Strawbridge Art League and Gallery in Historic Downtown Melbourne, Florida at 819-2 East Strawbridge Avenue.
