Jodie Karr

Artist Bio

Jodie is a passionate artist based in Asheville NC, with roots in
Lake Lure, NC. With a Bachelor's degree in Fine Arts and a Minor in
Art Management and Entrepreneurship from the University of North
Carolina at Asheville, she has honed her skills in printmaking,
painting, and art management.

Throughout her artistic journey, she has been greatly influenced
by the surrealist and Dada movements. Karr is compelled to explore
boundaries of traditional art forms and experiment with various
mediums. By combining printmaking techniques with elements of
painting, drawing, collage, and photography, she creates highly
symbolic pieces that engage viewers in thought-provoking narratives.

Drawing inspiration comes from dreams and Jodie’s subconscious, her
artwork reflects the mysterious and enigmatic processes that occur
during dreaming and creation. Each piece tells a unique story,
inviting viewers to delve into their own imagination and
interpretation.

In Jodie Karr’s collection, you will find a diverse range of artwork,
including screen-printed fabric, t-shirts, upcycled clothing, tote
bags, bandannas, cards, acrylic/ink/oil paintings, copper intaglio
prints, linocuts, and stickers. She believes in offering a
variety of mediums to cater to different preferences and create art
that is accessible to all.

Artist Statement

I have been fascinated by my own dreams since I was a young child and
have been eager to exhibit these visions through my art. Combining
various materials and utilizing different techniques of printmaking,
painting, and film photography expresses the link between automatic
art making and tapping into the subconscious in a calculated manner.
For me, creating art is an extension of the dreaming process; a
mirror, reflecting back the creative psyche.

I have been fascinated by my own dreams since I was a young child and
have been eager to exhibit these visions through my art. Combining
various materials and utilizing different techniques of printmaking,
painting, and film photography expresses the link between automatic
art making and tapping into the subconscious in a calculated manner.
For me, creating art is an extension of the dreaming process; a
mirror, reflecting back the creative psyche.
Freud published research on "The Interpretation of Dreams" that led to
psychological breakthroughs in his patients by employing methods of
free association and automatic drawing to tap into the subconscious.
The Dada and surrealist movements picked up on Freud's research and
took advantage of his methods to create art that they believed led
them to a deeper, more direct
access to their subconscious, thoughts, and dreams.

Automatism or "automatic art making, is an approach to art that has no
preconceived notion of the outcome and requires almost unlearning art
as trained artists know it. The use of physical images embarking
spontaneous associations that suggest other ideas without apparent
connection or logic, otherwise known as free association, complimented
surrealism.

"Manifesto of Surrealism" Andre Breton, one of the founders of
Surrealism, defined "Surreality" as "a kind of absolute reality" and
"seeming contradiction" between the dreaming and waking states.
Automatic art making allows the exploration of my subconscious and
internalized mind that is
influenced by my waking life experiences. In my process, ink is used
as the initial layer, and
repeated over collaged elements of screen prints, linocuts, and copper
plate etchings.

The medium itself is fluid and loose, requiring a sense of urgency and
control, much like my dreams. Manipulating these images both with film
photography and collaging pieces with one another, illustrates the
process of remembering and reimagining my inner mind and dreams that
are often interpreted differently in waking life. From the act of
drawing, layering, cutting and ripping up paper, it becomes highly
intuitive, reflective, and meticulous. The chaotic layering, cutting
out shapes of images and prints, burning and spray painting over
pieces that have had countless hours of work replicates how my brain
processes my experiences and emotions, much
like how I do when in a state of dreaming.

The multilayer processes of my work reflects where my mind goes during
the ritualistic act of creation. Many of my dreams are founded on
perspective, faint outlines of familiar places, and pivotal
environments throughout different times in my life. Repeated shapes,
details, foliage, patterns, landscapes, architecture, and symbols
appear to link memories and associations with one another. Use of
organic symbols such as the chrysalis, spirals, roots/veins, and the
moon to associate with the natural progression of time, cycles,
change, and growth. Symbols of the stomach to represent anxiety, the
nervous system, and processes that emotions and ideas undergo.
Buildings represent curiosity, perspective, and stability. Water and
patterns represent fluidity and thought. Windows to represent creative
perspective; observance. Laws of physics and reality become bent and
warped in the dreaming state, to reiterate this experience I am
exploring vivid colors and different perspectives simultaneously. By
tapping into the chaotic energy that I surrender to in my dreams and
creative process, I can mesh together bits and parts of my memories to
form new scenarios that reflect the current emotional state of my
waking life.