Karen Schmidt Humiski

When I began art school I thought I would be a painter. I then found sculpture to have a greater reward with the physical quality of constructing three dimensional pieces and the problem solving when working within the confines of the materials and techniques. Sculpture quickly evolved into jewellery and metalsmithing. It combined the challenges of metal work with the function of designing wearable art for the human form. My sculpture referenced architectural forms, nature and figurative work, as my jewellery does now. I like the sharp contrast between these influences combined into functional art. Growing up on the prairies, in the city of Winnipeg, I feel buildings became my mountains, coexisting as a part of the natural landscape. My pieces have evolved from labour intensive to more direct pieces. I like the physical interaction of forging metal with tools, and using textures and patinas to reflect the techniques used in the construction of the piece together with its image and form.