Artist Carol Paik

Carol Paik grew up in Sudbury, Massachusetts, and now divides her time between New York City and Pound Ridge, New York. She began her professional life as a lawyer, quit her job in order to be a full-time parent, earned an MFA in Creative Nonfiction once her younger child started school, and discovered her true passion as a visual artist thereafter.

Carol loves to explore different media and learn as much as possible about making art of all kinds. Her work has been shown recently at the Hudson River Museum in Yonkers, NY; Galerie Étienne de Causans in Paris, France; Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition in Brooklyn, NY; Westbeth Gallery in NY, NY; Silvermine Gallery in New Canaan, CT; Yellow Studio Gallery in Cross River, NY; SVA Flatiron Gallery in NY, NY.

"I'm a mixed-media artist, focused on repurposing discarded materials and the detritus of our everyday lives, primarily textiles, in my work. I most enjoy taking something that is overlooked, and looking at it closely. Or, taking something too frequently seen, and looking at it slightly differently. I'm interested in the emotions that we bring to the things we discard: nostalgia, guilt, desire, and loss. My goal is to give these objects--and, by extension, ourselves—new possibilities."

Tell us a little about yourself (where you are from) and your background in the arts.

I have no formal arts background. When I was a kid it seemed to me there could only be one artist in the family and my older brother was clearly it --- he had great natural drawing skills that I did not possess, and so I thought I had no artistic talent.

I always loved taking art classes, however, and finally, as an adult, I began to understand that my definition of art had been unnecessarily limited, and that a broader definition allowed room for me within it. I learned that my weaknesses, as well as my strengths, are what make my work unique. Once I accepted that, I gradually became able to call myself an artist: having said that, however, I am always working to improve my drawing skills.

What kind of work are you currently making?

Every year I have the opportunity to participate in an outdoor show at a lovely farm north of NYC. Knowing that this piece will sit outdoors for two months forces me to think in a completely different way about what I'm doing: I can go big -- I'm limited only by the size of my car. I need to consider different materials, I have to think about how my work will interact with the sun, the wind, the local wildlife (including children). It's a fantastic challenge and I'm getting started with that right now. Nothing concrete yet, but I do have an old metal bench that I plan to use as a base.

What is a day like in the studio for you?

I usually begin the day by sweeping the floor and putting things where they belong. This eases me into the space, and often just interacting with my materials will give me a starting point. For this reason, I tend to leave the place a little bit of a mess at the end of the day. Now that I have a fairly large space I'm able to work on more than one thing at a time, and I try to do that because often the kind of textile work I do involves repetitive motions, and can be a little hard on my hands if I don't take breaks.

In the afternoons I frequently make a plan with a friend for a museum/gallery/studio visit, lecture, or workshop: I think it's important to do something thought-provoking, fun, and social on a regular basis, to counterbalance my more reclusive tendencies -- I consider it part of my art practice.

What are you looking at right now and/or reading?

Right now, I'm reading "The Poems of Marianne Moore." I'm actually not a great lover of poetry, but I found this book on a cart of books being given away for free, and, as I have a fascination with things that are being given away for free, I had to pick it up. I'm reading the poems not so much for meaning but to find interesting word choices and combinations, and memorable images. Now that I think about it, it would be fair to say this is analogous to the way I look at art.

Where can we find more of your work? (ex. website/insta/gallery/upcoming shows)

Website: www.carolpaik.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/capaik670/

Upcoming shows: Galerie Etienne de Causan (Paris, France); Yellow Studio Gallery (Cross River, NY); El Barrio's Artspace (NY, NY); Silvermine Gallery (New Canaan, CT).