Meet Karen Koch of Life Needs Art. She is a mixed media artist from Hudson, Ohio.
Karen is inspired by nature, nostalgia, and different mediums. She has an unexpected way of bringing rich textures and bright, bold colors to her mixed-media art. Her handmade pieces transform ordinary items, such as old magazines, letters, vintage treasures, and books, into beautiful abstract art forms.
I met Karen through local artist friends. The array of materials used in her works of art caught my eye and drew me in to explore each original collage further. I hope you enjoy a peek into the creative journey of Karen Koch of Life Needs Art.
Artistic Origins
Vicki: “Can you share a story of what drew you to your chosen medium and how your artistic journey began?”
Karen: My earliest memories are of holding a pencil, sitting on the floor, and drawing pictures. Drawing has been my instinctive method to explore and understand the world around me.
I studied art in college, drawing and painting mostly, then worked in galleries for a couple of years afterward. Eventually, I grew into abstract painting and loved it: the freedom to experiment with color and marks.
Then! About 12 years ago, I took a collage class with Gretchen Bierbaum, Founder and President of the National Collage Society. We tore, cut, and glued. We used packing tape, grocery bags, vintage postage stamps, handwriting, book pages, yarn, and bottle caps. It was eye-opening!
Anything – ANYTHING – could be art.
To me, the collage process is a little like alchemy: mix odd scraps of paper, bits of string, and wire, sprinkle around a few buttons, slather it in glue, and before long, an image emerges.
It still astonishes me every time.
Most days, my studio looks like a ticker tape parade went through: tiny paper scraps everywhere. I often go home at night thinking, “What a mess I made today!”.
Yet, somehow, these crazy papery bits eventually come together.
Pivotal Moments:
Vicki: “Is there a pivotal moment or experience in your life that influenced your art?”
Karen: In my late 20s, I left the gallery job and began working corporate jobs that brought long hours, a lot of stress, and demanding deadlines. I painted off and on as I could in my “spare” time, but that time dwindled away. For about 12 or 13 years, I didn’t paint at all.
I was miserable.
I blamed the jobs. But after some soul searching, I realized I was missing my art. I needed it. It was too essential to my health and well-being.
I signed up for a drawing class at the Cleveland Museum of Art, one afternoon a week, for a couple of months. I used my vacation time to go.
Best decision ever.
Long before I had a website or social media handles, I decided that my studio name would be Life Needs Art.
Because it does. My life needs art, and I can’t live without it. I think all our lives need art, don’t you?
Creative Process:
Vicki: “Could you walk us through your creative process? How do you transform an initial idea into a finished piece?”
Karen:My ideas start as small sketches. They look like scribbles to anyone else, but they are my personal shorthand to help me remember ideas, compositions, and colors.
I’ll take one that intrigues me and experiment making a version in a sketchbook. Maybe I will use collage paper or pen and markers to explore the idea more. If it seems promising, I’ll move to a larger canvas or paper surface to work out the larger image.
I like to use vintage papers, especially old book pages and dictionary pages. I also like to paint blank paper with acrylic paint to make large sheets of colorful paper.
I go through an “audition” process with my papers, laying them out on the canvas, moving them around, and replacing one with another until I get the combination I like. Only then do I begin to glue them down.
It’s a slow and thoughtful process.
Sometimes, the final image resembles the initial sketch. Sometimes, not. It’s amazing to me how the images grow and evolve throughout the process.
Meaningful Creations:
Vicki: “Is there a piece you’ve created that is particularly meaningful to you? What’s the story behind it?”
Karen: I made “Roots and Roads #1” in 2015 when I was caring for my dad, who had developed dementia as the result of strokes. A tough year, for sure.
It had me thinking about where we come from (our roots) and the paths we take through life (our roads) of our starting point and our lifelong direction.
I was feeling a strong need for roots, for grounding. We all start from somewhere, and that starting point grounds us as we grow toward our future.
The image began as a sketchbook page. For the large version, I covered a canvas in old book pages (we’re a family of readers), added a large piece of map (I love to travel), and stitched it with thread (Mom taught me to sew).
The final image is very meaningful to me, as you might imagine.
Future Aspirations:
Vicki: “Looking forward, what are your aspirations or dreams for your future as an artist?
Karen: 2024 is starting off as another year of change! I have moved to a new studio and am getting settled into a new routine. I’m so happy to have the time to make art in a bright, beautiful space.
My goals for the year start with getting my hands gluey! I have so many ideas to explore and can’t wait to get them out of my head and onto canvas.
I’m aiming to show my work through galleries, exhibits, and online. This summer, you can find me at Art by the Falls in Chagrin in June, and Art on the Green in August, and perhaps a few others.
I’m fortunate to have a large collage included in an exhibit at the Morgan Paper Conservatory in Cleveland. The show is their annual national juried exhibit, which runs through April 2024. My piece is titled “Lyrical Landscape 5”.
Final Thoughts and Additional Insights:
Vicki: “Is there anything else you’d like to share about your art, experiences, or perspectives we haven’t covered?”
Karen: Another piece that I’m especially fond of is “My Darling Clementine.”
My mom and her sisters were a tight-knit bunch. Separated by age, careers, and geography, they didn’t see each other often, but when they did – it was as if they had never been apart.
I found an old photograph of them, one of the few photos we have of them all together. Though it was taken at a funeral, you’d never know it. Never a dull moment with this bunch!
That photo became the inspiration for this collage. While working on it, I kept hearing in my head how they wanted new dresses. Ok, ok! They all got new dresses made from origami paper.
I gave them a background of vintage sheet music and fabric sprinkled with buttons from my grandmother’s button box.
When I first showed this piece, one viewer commented, “Who are they? They look like a singing group about to take a bow!”
They do, don’t they?
Go ahead, ladies. Take a bow.
Find You:
Vicki: How can someone contact you to purchase your art?
Karen: Anyone interested in my work can reach out through Facebook, Instagram, and Etsy. I welcome visitors to my studio, but I suggest you reach out before coming to be sure I’m in.
On Saturday, May 4th, 2024, I am having an open house at my new studio. My friend, Dana Giel-Ray, will also have her studio open that day. Come visit!
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/lifeneedsart
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lifeneedsart/
Etsy: https://lifeneedsart.etsy.com
Website: https://www.lifeneedsart.com/
Studio: 75 Milford Drive, Suite 310, Hudson, Ohio. I am on the 2nd floor at the top of the stairs.
Workshop and Class Availability:
Vicki: Do you offer online or in-person workshops/classes?
Karen: I love to teach and plan to begin offering classes later this year, hopefully, both online and in-person.