Meet Constanze Arenz-Kulkarni | Artist & Designer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Constanze Arenz-Kulkarni and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Constanze, how has your background shaped the person you are today?
I was born and raised in a small and very picturesque town in Southern Germany. My childhood was all about spending time outside: I climbed trees, played soccer and explored the hills and forests around our house. I did all of this with my siblings and friends and very little parental oversight (it was the Seventies after all…). Looking back now I can attribute two major character traits to my childhood: My love for nature and the joy of exploring unknown territory. Both of these also reflect in my art, as I first and foremost paint the landscapes surrounding me here in Boulder County. I love to discover new places and the vistas of the peaks and ponds here never stops to amaze me. Most often you’ll find me walking around one of the local lakes with my little labradoodle Cookie, capturing pictures for future paintings with my phone while capturing the atmosphere with my heart.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I’m a transplant from Germany and now call Colorado my home. Creating art is my passion and I use every spare minute to paint! I work out of my house in Longmont, Colorado, which I share with my husband, my two daughters and our mischievous little doodle Cookie. Coming from a background of architecture and urban design (I was a licensed architect in Germany and have a Master’s degree in Urban Design from the University of Colorado Denver), I aways had a passion for creativity. But while architecture demands a focus on detail, accuracy and utility, my art gives me the opportunity to explore my creativity more freely. In my acrylic paintings I especially love to play with color and texture, capturing the atmosphere and hidden layers of my motifs. Most often I find the inspiration for my paintings in the nature and landscapes surrounding me, right here in Boulder County or on my travels.

I’m so proud that I finally feel confident enough to call myself an artist – it honestly took me a while to fully transform from “architect and urban designer” or even “mom” to “artist”. What gave me that confidence? Two things: Seeing people getting excited by my art in an exhibition (there’s a pop up coming up mid March at the Firehouse Art Center) and people actually buying my art at an art fair, one of the local stores or in my online store.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
There’s nothing I enjoy more than having friends over for a long weekend! Here’s how I would spend the three days showing them around: Day 1 – Boulder: The best spot to start the day is probably the “Spruce. Farm & Fish” at the Hotel Boulderado in downtown Boulder. They offer great coffee and the most delicious daily specials – like French Toast with candied orange zest or eggs Benedict with smoked salmon and capers. From there I would stroll through downtown Boulder and explore al the local shops and street artists. For lunch I would head over to the Chatauqua Dining Hall, where we would enjoy the farm fresh food right on the wraparound patio. After lunch we would take one of the trails towards the iconic Flatirons. For dinner we would go to North Boulder and enjoy delicious new Mexican food at Santo’s.
Day 2 – Longmont: We would grab breakfast at Farow (their shared plates would also be great for dinner!) and head out to Coot lake, where we would enjoy our breakfast on the platform overlooking the lake. After a walk around the lake we would head to Longmont. We’d start at the Longmont Museum and look at the latest exhibition (I’ll probably drop some greeting cards and prints off while we are there) and then drive to Main Street. We would stop at the Southern end at Cheese importers to buy a selection of cured meats and stinky, European cheeses for dinner. Then we would head a couple of doors down to have Tacos at Jefe’s. Afterwards would explore everything the historic Main Street has to offer. We’d stop by at Firehouse Art Center to look at their latest exhibitions. We’d finish our walk at MeCo and enjoy an amazing cp of coffee, while looking at paintings from local artists like me. We’d head out to Lake Macintosh, where we will enjoy our dinner watching the sun set behind Longs Peak. With a little luck we’ll even see an eagle!
Day 3 – Louisville: Louisville is one of my favorite towns around here! One of the reasons for this is Moxie Bread Co. As a German I just love myself good, crusty bread. And that’s something Moxie is excelling at. I’ll also eat their Kouign Ammans and pastries any day! Afterwards we’d stroll over to the Public Library. They not only have a great selection of books, they also have a neat gallery space, showcasing local artists. My paintings were showcased there this January. Next up would have been our favorite dog park, at Davidson Mesa. Unfortunately it was highly impacted by the grass fire last December, like so many other places and houses in and around Louisville. It is so devastating to see the destruction and I really feel for the residents. Like so many others we donated and we can see that the clean up and rebuilding is slowly but surely making progress. Talking about Louisville this is something that has to be mentioned. For our last evening we head from Louisville to Boulder on Arapahoe. We’ll take a quick detour to Legion Hill Overlook from where we can see Boulder and the Foothills stretch out behind the reservoir. We’ll continue on Arapahoe until we reach the outskirts of Boulder, where we finish the day (and our long weekend) at the amazing Blackberry Market.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My biggest source of support is without a doubt my family! It was my husband after all, who encouraged me to turn my hobby of painting into a career and to start showcasing and selling my art. He gave me the financial and emotional support to follow my passion! I would also like to mention two good friends and mentors of mine: Joanna Kosmider, a very talented photographer, who took the road of turning a hobby into a career first and kept encouraging me to follow her footsteps. Carmon Slater, a true artist and experienced quilter, who not only taught me the art of quilting (although I’ll probably never reach exhibition level there), but who also keeps opening my horizons for new art and opportunities. Lastly a big thank you to the local stores and galleries that currently sell my art: Firehouse Art Center in Longmont, the gift store at the Longmont Museum and MeCo Longmont. There’s nothing better than the local community here!

Website: www.constanzearenz.art

Instagram: @constanzearenzart

Facebook: Constanze Arenz-Kulkarni

Image Credits
Portraits: Joanna Kosmider