About:KarenS
Posts by KarenS :
Train rails : a ghost line?
(Working with “ghostly traces”—infrastructure that has been physically removed but remains visible to those who look closely. Walking artists like Ellen Mueller in Walking as Artistic Practice, and Stuart McAdam’s Lines Lost describe this walking as ‘a tool to reawaken these forgotten histories in the public mind’ and where the journey serves as the primary […]
The ‘afterlife’ of drawing with the breath of trees
13 March 2026 My first visit to the site after our holiday was early January and I found that it fell onto the forest floor. My dad passed on that day, and I have not visited the site since. I did not have the motivation or inspiration, and asked myself if this was about a […]
Exploring scrolls: a members exhibition at my local Arts Association
I want to exhibit the coastal rubbings, which I made in December 2025 at a members’ exhibition during March 2026. The drawings were made over a period of 10 days, whilst camping with family and friends on the West Coast of South Africa. I initially planned to take tide-line rubbings and see what the coast […]
Sharing “drawing with the breath of trees’ on social media
Since my formal studies are complete, I have noticed how my attention has shifted from explanation to listening. I’m less interested in resolving my work by figuring out how I will share it in a gallery/exhibition/framing, and more concerned with how that process will participate in the work’s breathing. When structure becomes too certain, I […]
A River flowing, is it in the Sky?
In early January 2026, I started a drawing about a river and life, as life was hurting at that point. My 95-year-old father passed after a medical procedure and a subsequent severe stroke, and it was also near the anniversary of the day my youngest son died three years ago. The drawing shares the influence […]
Drawing with the breath of trees
Introduction I am increasingly convinced that awe is an emotion that wants to be shared; this is what drives me to make art. I recently began experimenting with drawing machines that engage directly with the landscape. These simple constructions — feathers, charcoal, and twine suspended from trees — record the unseen movements of wind and […]
Why movement?
Thinking of making with nature and interventions I can make to create. I love the fact that movement can be captured, but it also leaves a trace or memory and what to do with that has come to my mind. With the drawing machines, I can explore other forces working and ensure as little human […]
Blomerus makings and explorations
Mushroom paper Soak overnight and then chop up in small pieces and blend with lots of water. The slurry in the bath as Jenny used it worked to pull the frame through. I found the dripping method easier to work with. New Zealand Flax paper Cutting the strips by using the extended aunts and uncles […]
Gathering fibre materials around my home
During my studies, I ordered a book, by Ruth Woods, FINDING FORM WITH FIBRE. I have not really spent enough time using this book, and now it’s the time. I asked friends if I could cut fibrous materials in their gardens. I realise it is early spring and maybe not the best time to gather […]