Monica Karppinen
Abstract acrylic and pen & ink paintings
Toronto Ontario

It is my pleasure to present for your viewing, my latest threee painting series – Metallic Illusions, Metallic Movement and Social Landscapes. The primary medium used is acrylic paint on canvas, along with pen & ink through out Metallic Movement and Social Landscapes.

All three series combine my interest in the emotional connection colour can evoke, along with texture which is created by a heavy application of paint in the form of dots and lines. This application of paint not only generates an interest due to texture, but they also create forms and shapes which are instrumental to the title of each painting. Viewers are captured by my patience as an artist, as well as by their own reaction to the combined feeling of the painting as a whole. The paintings featured in Metallic Illusions and Metallic Movement have been given birth due to my own extensive reflection of my own circumstances and choices. They are the result of a year-long journey into becoming the person I always envisioned myself to be. I have received a great deal of positive feedback towards these two series, resulting in two separate showings. Now, I look forward to setting even higher goals with the works I have already completed and plan to complete for Social Landscapes.

Although my personal journey has been somewhat lengthy already, my professional one as an artist is relatively new in its intent. My educational background consists of Bachelors in Fine Arts from Concordia University, with a major in Design Art. I have avidly painted throughout the past fifteen years, for my own enjoyment, as well as a number of commissioned works ranging from 36” x 36” canvas paintings, to entire room and staircase murals. However, I made choices out of fear, which at the time seemed better and followed a career path, which lead me to nationally based merchandising projects for the retail sector. Yet, I could never escape the truth of how I wanted to live my life, and as a result, slowly during the past two years I have made the transformation into laying down new tracks into becoming the artist I always thought to be. With this new intent, I have taken on the fear I held so close, and released it to the reality of what it really was: an illusion, generated for convenience.

My own journey is evident through out these works. Blessing in Disguise was inspired by the beauty of unfortunate events which lead me to discover the energy of anger and how to use it. This work also interprets the ability of events which appear to be right at the time, but in fact, result in total chaos. It is the viewer’s present placement which may decide which part of the blessing they wish to see.

Blind Faith, on the other hand, was sparked by two television interviews I watched, one with a blind goat farmer living in Yukon, Canada, and the other with Cori Booker, mayor of Newark, New Jersey. Both individuals made choices with their careers and lives which appeared to all others as ludicrous. The goat farmer left a well paying government job and bought a farm in the Yukon, a province he had never been to before. His belief in his ability to survive was a joy to watch. He is the prime example of blind faith. Cori Booker has chosen to live in the poorest projects of Newark in order to best resolve the rising crime rates and actually help the city flourish from within. His commitment to his position and to his city seems outrageous in its approach; however, the faith he has in the population responsible for his wining election, is what all politicians should look up to. It is these examples of blind faith which reflect the real beauty of ones convictions; it appears messy and confusing to others, but the clarity of the direction to the one following it always results in a remarkable outcome.

Joy and Hope are both emotions everyone everywhere feels. They elude us periodically, but their powerful energy comes to us at a moments notice. Neither is conditional, neither has prerequisites, all they require is a choice as to how much you wish to have. Their energy is contagious and wonderful to watch as its rippled effect takes hold. I’ve tried to capture the choice and the rippled effect of these emotions in each painting. My hope is that the viewer gains a reminder of that energy whenever it has temporarily faded.

I look forward to your reaction whatever that may be, and I hope to hear from you soon. Please feel free to email me via the "contact" link within the navigation bar to your left with any questions or comments.

Best regards,

Monica Karppinen

Mr. J.K. Artistic Productions