S.A: Hi Caitlin, first of all, we would like know more about you. Tell us who is Caitlin Karolczak, tell us something about your life and your childhood in your country

C.K: I'm currently working as an artist and gallery owner in Minneapolis, MN, USA. I was born in 1984 in an area commonly referred to as the Iron Range because of its affiliation with mining. Its an economically depressed area of the United States. I had a pretty normal childhood but I grew up in an area that does not have many opportunities for young people. My parents are Catholic and my father used to be a nurse when I as a child. I think being around Catholic and medical imagery as a child cultivated my interest in religious and anatomical painting themes. I moved to the Twin Cities when I was 17 to attend college and that is where I took my first art class.


S.A: What is art for you?

C.K: Art for me is the transference of experience and sentiment. I appropriate feelings and techniques from multiple sources, many are historical in nature. My interpretation of this already existing knowledge manifests a new in my paintings. I'm fascinated by this process. I find that the dialogue between artists and viewer is often accidental but always continuous and ever changing.


S.A: Could you share some of your philosophy about art and artistic creation?

C.K: I think that art, provides an essential method of communication between all people. It breakdowns language and cultural barriers and reminds us all of our common existence.


S.A: Have you always been interested in arts? When did you discover that art would be an important part of your life?

C.K: I've been drawing since a very young age and it was always something I was interested in. I excelled at art but didn't have any proper training in. I made the decision in college to become an artist and at that time I knew it would be an important part of my live. I knew that to become a successful artist I would have to make sacrifices in other areas of my life and that I would have to be completely devoted to it.


S.A: How did you get started in the art world?

C.K: Honestly, I feel that I haven't quite gotten my start in the art world... but I guess my limited knowledge and visibility in the bigger art world started with using the internet, networking with sites like Meseon. In my gallery I get to handle vintage paintings by famous artists and that has also helped my artwork to be seen by the right people, important collectors.
I've used a lot of internet resources – communities & competitions. There are not many opportunities in my community for showing art work and networking, so while I show locally as much as possible I've pursued exposure internationally any way I can.


S.A: Your artworks on meseon are paintings, Why do you choose painting as a means of expression?

C.K: I think that painting, as a medium,  was a natural place for me to start. The end results of this medium are endless as are the number of directions one can go in. It has a rich tradition to learn from and use as a resource and I think it has a bright future. People often say that painting is dead but I think that the only thing killing it is mediocrity and that there are many young artists fighting this issue of quality, bringing painting to new levels.


S.A: What concept would you like to show to your viewers?  What would you like say with your artworks?

C.K: Art is an inheritance which is meant to be passed from generation to generation. The transference of emotion & experience through art is timeless and I hope to continue this tradition and put my personal mark on it.


S.A: Are your artworks self-portrait?

C.K: My paintings are not self-portraits.  Although I think all paintings are a reflection of the person that created them, so only in that context could they be very loosely considered as self-portraits. I have not used myself as a model for a painting yet, but it is something I might explore in the future.


S.A: How has society influenced your art? What are the social implications of your art?

C.K: My art is often drawn from the fringe of society or rather it has arbitrarily been placed on the fringe. My subjects are sometimes hard for people to view and difficult for the average viewer to understand. So often we want to look the other way when something makes us uncomfortable. I feel like challenging society to take another look, to see things in a different way and to understand them in a different way as well.


S.A: Discuss one of your pieces. What were you thinking when you created it?

C.K: I work on several paintings at one time in my studio.  Oftentimes, especially with my most recent paintings, it can take months to finish. So, I go through many  different ideas and moods with each painting. The end result of a painting can be completely different then my intentions when I first began. I've recently started doing more detailed and exact under drawings when I start a painting. So, if the basic image and idea is already mapped out it will become easier for me to discuss what its intended to be. But at this time its very difficult for me to discuss my thought process on many of my paintings as I'm just beginning to understand this myself....


S.A: What was your most important exhibition? Could you share that experience?

C.K: I've participated in many exhibits and its hard to for me to label any of them as the most important – they've all opened up doors for me and helped me to meet new people. I participated in a show in Bogota Columbia recently and it was an important learning experience for me, exhibiting outside my country.  I've also shown at interior design showrooms which has helped people picture my art in their living spaces and stimulated sales.


S.A: Currently, do you have any exhibition?

C.K: You have caught me at a busy time. I have my annual studio opening in May, in which thousands of people tour the studios of North East Minneapolis. Besides having my works at my studio, I will also have some works at a designer furnishings show room – Danish Teak Classics, as well as a show at the DeVos Museum of art in Michigan, AND I will have some pieces at the opening of a local restaurant - The NE Social Club, which is being curated by Rogue Buddha Gallery.  I'm scrambling to get enough work prepared for all these different exhibits......  


S.A: What are the most important artist that are influence in your life and your works? Why?

C.K: There are countless artists that I'm inspired and influenced by, contemporary and historical.  Early Flemish art, Lucas Cranach, Rembrandt van Rijn, Odd Nerdrum, Otto Dix, Egon Schiele, Albrecht Durer, Kiki Smith, Jenny Saville. I could go on and on. It is hard to for me to pick just a couple. And my tastes are constantly changing.  Also, some artists I like might not even resemble my own work... like the Chapman Brothers or Gilbert & George. Early photography has influenced much of my work as well, the most interesting usually being by anonymous photographers. I can appreciate any legitimate art style and I like regurgitating these ideas in a way that would be unrecognizable.


S.A: Could you talk about the procedures that you use in your artworks? Preparation, development and finishing

C.K: I use many different procedures while I paint and many different tools. I'm trying to focus on oil painting because I have so much to learn but I also work in acrylics, watercolor, pen & pencil. I like experimenting with different mediums. I am currently focused on learning the techniques of the early masters - having a well thought out theme / design, having a detailed under drawing and then working with transluscent layers of paint on top.  I may also stray from this technique, using thicker paint and abstract techniques. I enjoy scratching through paint to reveal earlier layers of paint.


S.A: What do you feel when you are finished a artwork?

C.K: I feel mixed emotions when I finish an artwork. I've come to accept that not all my paintings can be masterpieces and I have to be satisfied with what I can do. Sometimes I get frustrated and abandon a painting - making it finished because I no longer wish to paint it, other times I feel that a painting is truly finished and that I've accomplished what I had in mind.


S.A: Do you have some challenge or goal which you are pursuing?

C.K: Quite simply my goal is to have the time and resources to develop my art fully.


S.A: Could you tell us something about you are currently working on?

C.K: I am currently working on a series of paintings inspired by a rare antique medical book I own about hermaphrodites. The photos are very interesting, all depicting this medical condition / phenomenon in varying degrees from mild to extreme cases.  The models also appear in different emotional states, from confident and self-possessed to people who are clearly ashamed of or uncomfortable with their physical anomalies. I want the people in my paintings to mirror these questions about sexuality, discomfort & beauty. The style of the painting will be very classical with a few of my own added abstractions. I'm also considering adding some religious or medical themes. In the near future I plan on doing some male nudes, simply because I want to address this genre which is often taboo coming from the point of view of a straight female. For the most part, I want them to be large and impressive - and reflect the artistic sentiments of a very old painting tradition.


S.A: Have you got some anecdote that you wish share with meseon community?

C.K: I have a number of antique taxidermied animals and medical sort of items in my studio... I also have a large life like Jabba the Hut model. During an open studio last year two very old ladies came in and loved my collection, especially Jabba.  One said "What a beautiful animal - what is it?" I realized they thought it was also a real animal that had been stuffed... I had to explain to them it was a character from the movie Star Wars which seemed to only confuse them more... they left murmuring about how beautiful a creature he was....


S.A: For finish tell us, why do you create art?

C.K: I create art for myself and I hope that others will enjoy it as well. My ambition is to leave some sort of inspiration for future artists and art lovers.


Thanks a lot for your time Caitlin. Has been a pleasure know more about you and your work.