Celtic Wolf Queen Reviews: Artist Spotlight

Interview with local artist Karen Gosselin
by Athena Hardy of Celtic Wolf Queen Reviews

Karen is a local New England artist whom I met through the comic convention scene. I always make sure to stop by her booth and see what new art pieces she has for sale. She is always a pleasure to talk with when she has some spare time between customers.

CWQ: Has art always been something you had a natural talent for since you were a child?

KG: Yes. It runs in the family. We all had an artistic direction, each one different. Mine leaned towards comics and fantasy art.

CWQ: Who would you say passed down the artist talent to you?

KG: My father. It was heavily represented on y father’s side of the family.

CWQ: When was the first time you showed your work? ( Ex. Talent show, town fair, vendor event etc? )

KG: I think it was at my first comic convention in VT when I was in my mid twenties. I got an award for "best up and coming artist". My first published story was in high school about a mountain lion hunting a deer. I don’t remember who published it. It was a local contest that I somehow won.

CWQ: What style of art do you prefer to create?

KG: I like realism, but I also enjoy some abstracts that have a hint of recognizable shapes and forms. Oils are my favorite.

CWQ: What is your favorite subject to draw?

KG: Fantasy fiction, creature creations/concepts. I also like turning abstract designs into animal forms to relieve stress.

CWQ: Which artists have inspired you the most?

KG: There are a lot. Some of them are friends. My first inspirations were Ray Harryhausen’s movies, "Clash of The Titans", "Seventh Voyage of Sinbad", "Golden Voyage of Sinbad", "Valley of Gwangi". As a kid, watching these movies, I WANTED to believe in the world he showed me. Fantastic, full of magic, adventures, creatures.

CWQ: You recently took a class to further your art knowledge. What did you gain from that experience?

KG: One of the many things I learned in the Illustrators Master Class was better composition, loosening up my painting style to create textures and "clustering" (drawing/painting groups of people or things to make a piece more interesting). The second time I learned more about brush strokes over blending (I still over blended. Bad habit I wanted to break). I also learned to have more confidence in my own skills.

CWQ: If you could, would you do art as a full time job? Why or why not?

KG: Maybe? Sometimes I enjoy the challenge. Others, I want to create my own worlds and characters and introduce them to everyone.

CWQ: Has the current state of the world affected your desire to create art?

KG: Yes. The anxiety makes it hard to create. It’s hard to focus past it sometimes, like an infinite wall. I took on a couple commissions to try and kick start my creative brain. So far the results have been rewarding. Honestly, I’m pretty proud of the stuff coming up. I think it’s some of the best and most challenging pieces I’ve created yet.

CWQ: What advice would you give someone just beginning their journey as an artist?

KG: Never give up. Even if you feel like something isn’t working in your art, keep creating, learning and finding ways to push yourself forward. Don’t redo a piece, learn from it. Most of all, be gentle with yourself. You aren’t going to understand it all right away and if you keep saying "I’ll put my work out there when it’s ready" it will never be ready. Put it out there and grow.