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Biography Karen Pearle Artist's Statement: My work is a passionate and imaginative exploration of color and form in the ancient, yet new medium of mosaics. Stained glass and mixed media give this medium a tactile and brilliantly reflective quality. I invite you to visit my Gallery to see much more of my work, to visit my studio full of inspirational materials and pictures and my garden. Any questions you may have are welcome. I appreciate this opportunity to share my work with you!! Here's my story: How did my passion for mosaics begin? From an early age I would draw and paint- portraits, landscapes. Then, in 1990 I received a Master of Fine Arts from Queens College , New York. For a few years before this I was fired with the need to get to the root of how modern art was made. So I started with Cezanne, studying, copying, and step by step delved into the work of Matisse, the cubists, abstract expressionists and worked my way to the present. In this way I learned how to compose abstract paintings. This completed my study at the college. At the time New York was an exciting yet stressful place to live. And on the advice of a friend I soon moved to California to start a whole new life. Here I studied spontaneous painting, as part of the "Painting Experience" classes in San Francisco. I let go of all my knowing and painted purely from feeling. Then, several years ago, I went to an Open Studio and saw the mosaic work of Carol Bevilacqua. A bunch of nerve cells must have fired in my being, because since then I studied at what was to become the Institute of Mosaic Art, in Oakland and I have been deeply absorbed in making mosaics, which are rather like paintings in glass. One morning I woke up with the realization that I wanted to mosaic my entire house. This felt rather extreme and I wondered what was happening to me!! What actually happened was that I was to become absorbed in studying, looking at and doing mosaics in ways that I could never have imagined. Earlier roots of this passion come from when I was sitting as a child in a synagogue. I would find refuge from the sermons and chants by gazing longingly at the stained glass windows, filled with luminous color that would change as the light changed. Also in New York, I would spend an enormous amount of time in the museums and one of my favorites was the Frick Collection on Fifth Avenue. In a glass case at a very far room were glass enamel paintings from about the 17th century. Rare stones, lapis lazuli, turquoise, were embedded in these works. So much came together for me in becoming a mosaic artist: my knowledge of composing, my spontaneous painting experiences, and now, a very tactile exploration of materials- including stained glass, mirror, shells, marble, fine china and others. Two strong forces within me come to play- my need to express a very personal vision. (This often will come to me in a dream.) And the second, to express my need for certain colors. This all comes together as my personal style of doing the mosaics. My Healing Practice, Chi Nei Tsang, in Oakland, California: For 15 years I have been specializing in emotional healing and helping people to heal from stress and trauma. I also help people to get in touch with and deepen their creativity and life purpose. For more information see: http://www.openexchange.org/go/BOD/pearle.html Recent Exhibitions: MyAtlantis, juried show, Winter, 2005 Institute of Mosaic Art, Fall Show, 2005 Gallery 56, One Person Show, 2/06- 6/06 Flora and Fauna Show, Inst. of Mosaic Art May - July, 2006 California Mosaics, A Celebration of California�s Diversity in Mosaics , Juried Show, Institute of Mosaic Art July-August, 2006 Portraits, Institute of Mosaic Art August-September, 2007 Big Love, Institute of Mosaic Art, 2007 Altars, Ancestors and Magic, Institute of Mosaic Art, Oct.-November, 2007 Berkeley Artisans Group 2007 KPFA Crafts Fair 2007 East Bay Open Studios, 2006-2008 Cover Art, Mosaic, �Let�s Dance�, East Bay Monthly, August, 2008 California Modern Art Gallery, REFLECTIONS OF THE BAY, juried show Nov-Dec. 08 Fingado Gallery, Nov-Dec. 2008 My art is included in the Mosaic Art 2005-8, Yearbooks Institute of Mosaic Art, Dreamscapes, Dec 08-Jan 09 Berkeley Art Center, December 08 thru January 2009 Aurora Ristorante, Jan- March 09 Ciel Gallery, February 2009 "Faces" Show, North Carolina Cafe Arrivederci, San Rafael, April and May 2009 Article about me and my art on Stacy's Blog: http://stacyalexander.blogspot.com/search?q=karen+pearle Helpful Books on Creativity: Fearless Creating, Eric Maisel, c 1995 Jeremy Tarcher Website: www.ericmaisel.com No More Second Hand Art, Awakening the Artist Within, Peter London c 1989. Shambala Finding Your Own North Star, Martha Beck, Three Rivers, Press, NY, 2001 "You must become aware of the richness in you and come to believe in it and know it is there." Brenda Ueland |