Meet Karina Vogt | Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Karina Vogt and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Karina, how does your business help the community?
Art can communicate, without words or with words, experiences that are universal to all humans across cultures. Art can be a tiny bud pushing through a crack of oppression, reaching out for sunlight. It is a reminder that we’re all connected in this web of life and stirs feelings of our place within a greater whole, a reminder that we’re a part of this vast world full of beauty and mystery, made up of energy. Art can remind us how beautiful it is to be alive, full of possibility with endless creativity and transformation. Art can be the mouthpiece of movements. Art can bring comfort and healing, illumination and inspiration. I strongly believe that art in all its myriad forms is a necessity to our human spirits.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
The base that I create from is the belief that we’re all connected in this beautiful web of life. I’ve painted and created art and jewelry since I was very young. For the last decade creating art has been my primary occupation. The more work I create, the more experience I have and so my skill level continues to grow and the cycle continues. I learn as much as I can from other artists and fortunately many artists whom I admire are sharing their technical knowledge through online courses, which has been immensely helpful with filling in gaps of knowledge.
Many of my larger paintings take hundreds of hours to create. That which makes a painting captivating is vibrancy in color and the illusion of depth and that’s what brings art to life. That depth and vibrancy is achieved by layering paint strategically. Many of my paintings have more than 20 layers of paint.
I fell in love with beaded jewelry about ten years ago and have spent years developing my beaded collections with great attention to detail. My larger statement pieces can take days to complete. In many cultures beadwork has deep meaning and is considered fine jewelry.
Quality is a priority in my work and that includes the materials that I use. It’s important that my paintings are archival and that my beaded jewelry is heirloom quality.
I do struggle with the business aspect of working as a self employed artist and part of that struggle comes from inner resistance in which I perceive things to be more complicated than they actually turn out to be. There are endless things that need to be done outside of creating the art itself and I often feel as if I have two jobs. The most important thing is to keep doing the work. I rarely take a day off.
A recent collector sent me a text saying, “Your paintings are insane because they look alive and you can see their souls”, which is a theme that I hear often from my collectors.
If there’s a message I have for people interested in acquiring artwork, it is this: Please don’t be intimidated to approach an artist who’s work speaks to you. You can usually reach them through the contact page on their websites. Many artists will work with you. I personally am starting a new collection of smaller paintings and quicker designs to make my work attainable to more people.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I would definitely take them into the mountains to hike Raccoon Trail at Golden Gate Park. Red Rocks would be on the list for an excellent music experience. Rosetta Hall is a fun and lively food court with a rooftop view of the Flatirons. Speaking of the Flatirons I’d like to take them to Chautauqua Park to hike around the Flatirons and then to Chautauqua Dining Hall for a meal with a beautiful view.
I’d check out what music was going on at the Boulder Theater and stroll down the Pearl Street Mall to listen to the buskers and maybe enjoy some delicious treats. If they have children, we’d want to get inner tubes and take them down the Boulder Creek. We would at some point need to hit up Crosscut pizza in Nederland (they have the best gluten free pizzas I’ve ever had).

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Shout out to Lee Zuniss, my partner who showed up at just the right time. Lee has encouraged me to invest fully in my pursuit of working full time as an artist. When the going is slow, he reminds that it’s only a matter of time and to keep on the path. He reminds me of all the things that are working and his 100% belief in my abilities.

Website: karinavogt.com

Instagram: karina_vogt_art