Early in the interview, Karin revealed her Swedish upbringing, plus the many countries internationally she has called home. Today she splits her time between Los Angeles and Montreal with an active studio in both places. Most recently, she became a U.S. citizen and after living in the U.S. for 8 years, she’s excited to be able to call herself an American. 

Brauns has drawn upon both her travels and her commitment to conservation for inspiration. “The beauty of nature has always been a big influence on me,” Brauns says. “It’s where I find peace. My mind wanders freely and stimulates my creative thoughts. Simply put, capturing nature and wildlife makes me feel good. When I create my representations of animals, they are very human and yet have a sense of purity. I also find myself inspired by the way I experienced different cultures in terms of how people in those countries related to animals and to each other.”

With animals as her main artistic theme, her latest creations have incorporated well-known brands along with precious and semi-precious stones. Imagine the eyes of a pair of flamingos glittering with diamonds, zebra stripes embellished with Dior ribbons and gold leaf, the shells of a pair of frolicking turtles embroidered with Swarovski crystals—each one drawing you in to explore and experience the image and emotions depicted more closely. The titles seem personal, yet subtle, bows to the brands incorporated. Those nuzzling zebras are “I Dior You,” a beautiful monarch butterfly escaping its cocoon becomes “Cocoon Chanel” emblazoned with diamonds and crystals, hummingbirds sipping happily from a bottle of Chanel No. 5 is titled “Luxurious Nectar.”

Perhaps one of her most ambitious projects has been finding a way to highlight and communicate through her art the dramatic plight and demise of bee populations around the globe. Brauns’s fascination with bees is not new, she actually has several earlier paintings of bees, including “Got Honey.” The new bee collection is actually a series that can be hung singly or as a triptych titled “Bee Gucci,” integrating the full spectrum of her mixed media work with layers of acrylics, resin, stones, and other materials to give the pieces dimension and an opalescence quality.

Brauns will be exhibiting as part of the Beverly Hills Virtual Art Show featuring live zoom studio tours, home tours, panels, and interviews with artists. If you are in the area, the show will also have limited seating on-site workshops offered by artists in the historical gardens of Greystone Park. The virtual show features art by over 240 artists from around the nation who will showcase their work virtually, including works in painting, sculpture, watercolor, photography, mixed media, ceramics, glass, jewelry, drawing, and printmaking. 

Brauns Beverly Hills Art Show exhibit may be seen here. Go to her website to see more about her and her amazing work.

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About Karin Brauns

Karin Brauns is a mixed media painter who lets her love of nature and animals influence the images she creates. Usually starting with a subtle and sophisticated palette of color, composition, and texture, she finishes her canvases using a variety of materials including acrylics, oils, gold leaf, glitter, and semi-precious and precious stones. The result is a balance of realistic and dreamy expressions highlighted by a golden touch. Her current art series is based around wildlife conservation and endangered species, giving them a human quality, and yet maintaining a sense of purity.  https://www.karinbrauns.com/

The post The Passion and Sparkle of Artist Karin Brauns appeared first on Art Business News.

A: I’m Karin, (pronounced Car-inn) I live in Los Angeles, California, which has been my home base since 2012. I’m an artist and an actress.

Q: What is your background?

A: I grew up in Norrköping, a city about 160 km southwest of the national capital Stockholm. My dad is fully Swedish, and my mother’s parents immigrated from Latvia during the second world war.

When I was nineteen, I left Sweden when I finished upper secondary school. I knew there was so much more out there in the world, and I wanted to explore before choosing my path. I never studied any arts or attended University. Instead, I traveled the world. I lived for extended periods in Greece, England, New Zealand, and Australia before moving to the U.S which I fell in love with immediately. I’ve done a lot of modeling during the years and later moved over to acting, which has always been a big passion. I started to establish myself as an artist four years ago.

Q: How do you work?

A: I like to work fast and with movement, usually on large canvases. That’s one reason I like working with Acrylics and on various projects at the same time to get a break from over focusing on one particular object. My work is pretty international and universal in scope, usually starting with a subtle and sophisticated palette of color, composition and texture. Finished canvases are rendered using a variety of materials including acrylics, oils, gold leaf, glitter, and now, real diamonds. The result is a balance of realistic and dreamy expressions highlighted by golden touch. My creative mind explodes with ideas when I’m active, like a run in nature, that is golden.

Q: What art do you most identify with?

A: Modern Fine art with a dreamy touch. It’s realistic and perhaps surreal at the same time.

Q: What has been your favorite experience so far as an artist?

A: People’s interaction when they stumble upon my art. It’s amazing how art can trigger so many emotions and feelings. And how each person connects with a painting differently. I love watching people react to my paintings and get lost in the moment. Every time I witness this dynamic, it reinforces the fact that creating art and capturing nature is my purpose.”

Q: Who inspires you?

A: My inspiration doesn’t come from only one individual, it comes from everything alive. There’s a lot of things in life that inspire me; humans, animals, and nature. Things from the past, present, and  from my dreams. Capturing nature and wildlife makes me feel good. My current Art Series is based around wildlife conservation and endangered species and their feelings towards each other. When I create my representations of animals, they are very human and yet have a sense of purity. I also find myself inspired by the way I experienced different cultures in terms of how people in those countries related to animals through my travels.

Q: What is the best advice you have received?

A: Always stay authentic, I only compete with myself, because In the end I am the only person who is with me my entire life. I don’t let anyone’s opinion of my work affect me. My visions and creations are from my reality only and as an artist I am here to share them.

Q: When you are not working, where can we find you?

A: When I’m not painting, I’m out in nature, hiking or running. I travel a lot so it’s always something going on in my world. You can also find me hanging out with my pets, like my cat and chickens in the summer. I love to be creative in the kitchen too, that’s another way for me to relax and of course spend quality time with loved ones. 

Karin Brauns will be exhibiting her work this April at Artexpo New York at Pier 94 Booth #409.

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