Karen Gjelsvik Hetland is an illustrator with a Masters degree in Contemporary Art from Sotheby's Institute of Art in London. In her artwork, she explores form and material. She mixes mediums like ink, soft watercolor and gouache with delicate pencil drawing. Further work on the illustrations are done digitally by playing with contrast, gradients, scale and format. She is intrigued by the way the ink flows and what happens spontaneously when materials mix.
Dancing bodies, rhythm and movement. How to create a still image showing speed and movement? How to remove parts of the body and at the same time show a figurative expression, simultaneously soft and firm with contrasts exploring light and darkness?
GURO 130x70CM/15 KR 14 000,- + 5% BKH
WRAP 70X50CM/35 KR 6500,- + 5% BKH
INVERTED 70X50CM/35 KR 6500,- + 5% BKH
FLOAT 40X50CM/35 KR 5000,- + 5% BKH
ATTACHMENT 40X50CM/35 KR 5000,- + 5% BKH
SILOUETTE_01 50X70CM/35 KR 6500,- + 5% BKH
SILOUETTE_02 70X100CM/35 KR 9500,- + 5% BKH
SILOUETTE_02 70X100CM/35 KR 9500,- + 5% BKH
MOTION 50X70CM/35 KR 6500,- + 5% BKH
From the exhibition at PitStop Frysja – December '21 to December'22
Curated @bybjørkheim
Dancers
The series Dancers are a study of bodies in which flow, movement and emotions are explored through simple mediums like water, watercolour, ink and delicate pencil drawings. When the images are finished by hand, they are scanned in high resolution, cleaned up and prepared to give a pure and firm finish. The white is ultra-white, the black soft as velvet, with all nuances in between. Nothing is left to chance. The painted bodies are figurative though fragmented. They have speed and emotions, at the same time quietly melancholic and sometimes dreamy.
Inverted
Only two images from this series are presented. They are important as they counteract the pure black-and-white images. Contrast is everything - both in each individual work and in the exhibition as a whole. The insects are first drawn, then painted in watercolour, ink and gouache. Thereafter scanned and worked on digitally to give a new expression. The colours present as negatives, the colour black as velvety soft and complete. The artist is fascinated by insects: they are beautiful yet grotesque, delicate and mythical. Here, they are transformed to dark individuals and scaled to giants.
The images are printed digitally on Epson large format printer, on photorag 308g paper. They are signed and numbered in 15 or 35 copies. Matched white passepartout, glass and black frames. The expression is firm, pure and simple. All images are available for sale, prices from NOK 5000 – 14 000,- + 5% BKH
GURO 130x70CM/15 KR 14 000,- + 5% BKH