Life & Work with Kim Karelson of Decatur

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kim Karelson.

Kim, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Art making is the first thing I can remember wanting to do . Drawing , painting, hand printing ,photography and textile art have always been central to my life . After earning a BFA from the University of Georgia , I returned to Atlanta and married a fellow art enthusiast,Mark Karelson . Together we opened the Modern Primitive Gallery which has since evolved into Mason Fine Art and Events . My art continues to evolve as well . I dedcated many years to painting the southeastern landscape but needed to explore abstraction to feel balanced .Currently ,I am pursuing the intersection of representational and abstract painting .
We as people are also evolving as AI becomes a larger part of our society and will replace many roles traditionally held by humans. In my opinion , this will challenge artists to identity what is quintessentialy human, maintain knowledge of craftsmanship and share that with younger generations of art makers .

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
The artist life is not what I would call a smooth road . Many years of study and practice are required as well as large financial investments . There is much competition for opportunities . Most artists have experienced criticism and rejection which result in the “dark night of the soul “. However , that place is where one clarifies the quest and becomes a better artist . As rocky and twisted as this road may be at times I would never trade it . To quote Socrates ” The unexamined life is not worth living “.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
For many years I focused on painting the lush and wild southern landscape . During the isolation of the pandemic ,something shifted inside of me and I began painting abstractly. Painting became more about the experience than the outcome. My paintings are in many private and commercial collections including King and Spalding Law, Omni International and George and Barbara Bush . I have also exhibited art In Liberial and Latvia through the Art in Embassies program .
Most artists stick with one style or subject once they create a market for it and experiment very little . I am here to experience everything I can through my art and change directions when I feel I have exhausted a subject or want to try a new medium . Art is the one place in my life where I feel free and sincere . Why stay in any box ?

Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
Risk is neccessary to living a full life . ” You gotta riskit for the bisquit ” . Truer words were never spoken .Who wants to look back in old age and regret the things not explored ? In my practice , changing from Realism to Abstraction has been very costly . I had established a market for landscapes and stopped doing them . In that moment I thought producing a new style would be easy . It has’nt been. Having too many ideas is as difficult has too few. I am still developing my abstract art and refuse to jump on the trends of the moment . Thats just not the experience I am looking for . Now that robots can make art that looks like a human did it, I am digging down and asking myself what is uniquely human ? What makes us people ?

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.masonfineartandevents.com
• Instagram: @kimshockleykarelsonart
• Facebook: Kim Shockley Karelson
• LinkedIn: Kim Karelson