Kara Strite

At heart, I am a mover and a traveler. I have lived and journeyed from the Artic to the equator and in an ideal world I’d live in a palapa – covered from the elements but open to the breeze, surrounded by sunshine or rain. Often my art is an attempt to capture a moment at a favorite place: the glow of the sunshine, the feel of the wind, the scent of the flowers. I originally started using dye in a conventional manner on fabric. Eventually I began using fabric dyes on Japanese papers – dyes instead of paints because the dyes move very differently. I now use a combination of dyes and paints on a variety of papers which I rip or cut and then layer to create different textures. Currently I use a lot of Thai lace paper because it takes dye well and layers well. Materials like mica add accent touches. I’ve added limited edition numbered and signed giclee reproductions to my line and I find that the giclee captures the different textures quite well. I find that the artists that have influenced me are women who weren’t afraid to make a leap into the art world – or rather, if they were apprehensive, they did it anyways. Alaskan artist Claire Fejes packed her bags and headed to Arctic villages to experience and paint village life. Potter Beatrice Woods started working on her pottery in her 40s and worked right on up to heart death at 105. Throw into that mix my husband who reminds me that all the skills I have developed through-out my life add together and make me ready to take on new challenges. The take away: Do what you love. Do it your own way. Don’t be afraid to throw away the ‘recipe’ and make things up!