Karen Boyhen: The Art of Observation
This year for Woolly Fest, we wanted to collaborate with a local artist to design fabulous, fiber-focused bags and stickers for those who support the work that we do at Art Equals. Karen Boyhen was the first person to come to mind, and I was thrilled when she agreed to the project. The result is a series of whimsical and wonderful pieces of art.
Karen’s paper mache Cat Café first caught my eye last year at a Holiday show at the Hellmann Creative Center, and I was delighted to adopt several of her papery feline figures. We met again in February when we both participated in “Fuzzy : A Touchable Art Exhibit”, where Karen delighted guests with her punch needle pieces, including one titled “Wigland”. Art Equals was delighted when she joined us in May for our first Blue Together celebration, where she had many of her paper mache sculptures and delightful drawings. Of course, her bag covered in hand drawn coffee pots had to come home with me. To say I’ve become a fan of Karen’s sense of humor and whimsical observations of the world is an understatement. So, imagine my delight when I got the chance to sit down with her over a warm cup of tea to talk about her creative practice.
Karen Boyhen is an editorial illustrator and graphic designer, and a lover of all things drawing. Her focus ranges from portraits in the wild of a coffee shop to observations of nature, and her mediums include paper mache sculpture, hand drawn bags, and more. For her, all it takes to create is simply to look around you: “I've always liked to observe things, like really take a good look at bugs…and get up real close and just stop and look around and draw and out for a walk. I love sycamore trees so I always carry my sketchbook with me. I'll stop and draw the shapes which kind of look like camouflage.” From her sketches to her sculptures, it is clear in Karen’s work that she is inspired heavily by the beauty in the world around her.
Aside from observing, where or who does Karen’s creative inspiration come from? Karen credits her mom for exposing her to the wonderful world of creativity at an early age. Her mother, also an artist, always had art materials around and made sure that Karen had what she needed to foster creativity. Karen recalls a library program that allowed them have inspiring pieces of art right on their living room walls growing up.
Karen has also had other influential people dedicated to sharing creativity in her life. “I remembered every summer Rick the lifeguard (also a school teacher) taught arts and craft classes at Pinewood lake in Trumbull, CT. We did all sorts of 70s crafts like tie dye, spin art, mosaics!” These early influences helped Karen’s creativity grow from childhood onward; since then, she has certainly embraced exploration of art in various forms, from pen and ink to fiber and more!
Karen is dedicated to fostering creative community in the Cincinnati area, a passion she has shared in her time with Visionaries and Voices for 15 years. She spoke of her time there and the community she has gotten to be a part of: “Just being amongst all these amazing artists and the acceptance from everybody and encouragement and being around all these different approaches, I think it's made me a better artist.” Karen’s experiences show that creativity and community can be found in so many places, from the people around you to nature outside to your local artist communities to seemingly mundane coffee shops and everything in between.
Creativity can also serve many wonderful purposes. For Karen, it has become a source of motivation to reach beyond her comfort zone and grow. This October, Karen displayed an exhibit at St. John’s called the Clifton Sketchbook Project and Exhibition, in which she displayed 100 feet of drawings in the form of a scroll. These drawings came from many months of outings in which Karen went out in public and drew strangers spontaneously as part of a large scroll. For Karen, who considers herself to be introverted and shy, this project was an adventure of sorts, one that pushed her out of her comfort zone and helped her overcome her shyness in the pursuit of creativity.
Karen’s art is also currently displayed outside of the Hellmann Creative Center as part of the Center for Great Neighborhood’s Triptych Mural. Each year, Cate Douglas commissions new murals from local artists, and this year, Karen was one of the artists chosen! Her set of three paintings can be found alongside another local artist’s paintings at the home of Art Equals for anyone to come and enjoy.
Karen’s advice for developing a creative practice is to start one small step at a time. “Making art is similar to working out. You're not going to do a marathon the first week.” She also emphasizes the importance of being kind to yourself: “Some people say I can't draw so I'm not creative but that's not true because cooking is creative and so many things that people do throughout today are creative, they don't even label it. I think everybody should draw, maybe be more gentle on yourself…drawing is communication, just like talking and writing and singing you know, it's a way to express yourself.”
So, inspired by Karen’s creative practice, be kind to yourself, and start small. Perhaps just take a walk and sketch people or animals or trees. Creativity can help you grow and learn, and sometimes all you need to do to start creating is to simply look at the world around you.
