ARTIST OF THE WEEK - PHILIPPA KARAKASHIAN

Philippa Karakashian

These pieces are compiled using a combination of collagraph, carborundum and collage as elements of the final image. The work is made in a limited series usually of about fifteen or twenty rather than an edition so each piece is uniquely formulated.
Combining intuition with some formal attitudes and a limited palette the work develops by exploiting certain unpredictable changes, together with a process of careful editing and selecting and the addition of diluted pigments.
Her interests lie in exploring the relationship between a duplicated system and the revelations which occur in the making.

Philippa is currently represented at national art fairs and exhibitions by Shirley Crowther Contemporary Art.


1 Money spent on learning new things is never wasted.
There is always something to find out about , discover or change your outlook on and sometimes you can even do it for free!

2. Favourite living artist

It’s hard to choose one, but Cornelia Parker is someone who I admire for her intelligence, sense of humour and ability to select, transform and present objects and materials in a totally new light. Poetic,thought provoking and always visually arresting , a bit of a winning combination.


3. Favourite historical artist

Agnes Martin, although not that “historical” as she died quite recently in 2004 aged 92 and continued to make work until then. I love the timelessness and quiet conviction of her paintings , the faded palette and grid format with its slight imperfections that create subtle imperfections. She lived and worked in virtual isolation and it is said that she had not read a newspaper for fifty years. I admire her dedication, intellect and humility.


4. Do you work best on your own or in collaboration?

On my own, the nature of my work is quite solitary.

5. Last best read?

In Praise of Shadows by Junichiro Tanizaki. An essay on traditional Japanese aesthetics.


6. What do you have on your pinboard?

I don’t have a pinboard as such ,although I do put things up on the wall I don’t keep them there for long as I find they are a bit of a distraction. I usually prefer to leave the space clear to look at my work in isolation. I like to keep the wall as clutter free as possible but I do have bundles of photos and postcards stacked up which I leaf through as well as lists of words, phrases or descriptions of colours.I also have a collection of objects, fibres and fragments of wood metal or paper collected from various sources which are a sort of three dimensional pinboard.

7. Where and what is your studio?
I work within a large studio complex in the centre of Brighton which houses about 100 other artists, although each space is completely self contained and peaceful so I am able to work alone. Quite often I will work in silence, although there is always the constant (but strangely comforting) roar of the traffic from the road below. If I listen to anything it will be Radio 4 , I like the way it punctuates the day and you can drift in and out of the amount of attention you give it.


8.Do you have a good work/life balance?

I used to work from home but found family life, lack of space and trying to concentrate on my work just didn’t mix. I would always be distracted by domestic life in one form or another so my studio is a complete haven where I can work almost uninterrupted. I still find it hard to switch off even when I am not doing my work. I think being an artist is and should be a way of life.

9. What one word would describe your feeling of doing your work?

Contemplation
10. Would you rather be doing something else?

Not in a million years!