Q: Introduce yourself – who are you and what do you do?

A: I’m Karin, (pronounced Car-inn) I live in Los Angeles, California, which has been my home base since 2012. I’m an artist and an actress.

Q: What is your background?

A: I grew up in Norrköping, a city about 160 km southwest of the national capital Stockholm. My dad is fully Swedish, and my mother’s parents immigrated from Latvia during the second world war.

When I was nineteen, I left Sweden when I finished upper secondary school. I knew there was so much more out there in the world, and I wanted to explore before choosing my path. I never studied any arts or attended University. Instead, I traveled the world. I lived for extended periods in Greece, England, New Zealand, and Australia before moving to the U.S which I fell in love with immediately. I’ve done a lot of modeling during the years and later moved over to acting, which has always been a big passion. I started to establish myself as an artist four years ago.

Q: How do you work?

A: I like to work fast and with movement, usually on large canvases. That’s one reason I like working with Acrylics and on various projects at the same time to get a break from over focusing on one particular object. My work is pretty international and universal in scope, usually starting with a subtle and sophisticated palette of color, composition and texture. Finished canvases are rendered using a variety of materials including acrylics, oils, gold leaf, glitter, and now, real diamonds. The result is a balance of realistic and dreamy expressions highlighted by golden touch. My creative mind explodes with ideas when I’m active, like a run in nature, that is golden.

Q: What art do you most identify with?

A: Modern Fine art with a dreamy touch. It’s realistic and perhaps surreal at the same time.

Q: What has been your favorite experience so far as an artist?

A: People’s interaction when they stumble upon my art. It’s amazing how art can trigger so many emotions and feelings. And how each person connects with a painting differently. I love watching people react to my paintings and get lost in the moment. Every time I witness this dynamic, it reinforces the fact that creating art and capturing nature is my purpose.”

Q: Who inspires you?

A: My inspiration doesn’t come from only one individual, it comes from everything alive. There’s a lot of things in life that inspire me; humans, animals, and nature. Things from the past, present, and  from my dreams. Capturing nature and wildlife makes me feel good. My current Art Series is based around wildlife conservation and endangered species and their feelings towards each other. When I create my representations of animals, they are very human and yet have a sense of purity. I also find myself inspired by the way I experienced different cultures in terms of how people in those countries related to animals through my travels.

Q: What is the best advice you have received?

A: Always stay authentic, I only compete with myself, because In the end I am the only person who is with me my entire life. I don’t let anyone’s opinion of my work affect me. My visions and creations are from my reality only and as an artist I am here to share them.

Q: When you are not working, where can we find you?

A: When I’m not painting, I’m out in nature, hiking or running. I travel a lot so it’s always something going on in my world. You can also find me hanging out with my pets, like my cat and chickens in the summer. I love to be creative in the kitchen too, that’s another way for me to relax and of course spend quality time with loved ones. 

Karin Brauns will be exhibiting her work this April at Artexpo New York at Pier 94 Booth #409.