Burke Residency 37: Karen Kuo

Interview Conducted by Angelica DeJesus

Angelica DeJesus: Hi Karen! Thank you for your time and letting into your world as an artist and creator. I’d love to kick off this interview by asking you to introduce yourself. 

Karen Kuo: Hi Angelica! I am a painter and ceramic artist currently based in the East San Gabriel Valley area. I grew up here, went to school for a few years on the East Coast, and have been back living in California for the last decade or so. Lately, I have been feeling really grateful to have found a creative community here, and to be able to make art as often as I do. 

AD: You work in multiple mediums, and I understand that nerikomi ceramics is a relatively new exploration for you. What drew you to this medium, how does it connect to your existing work? 

KK: As soon as I started working in clay in 2021, the Nerikomi technique immediately drew me in. Conceptually, the process of building a pattern through stacking and extrusion felt so close to how I approach painting. As I'm building an image, I tend to assign specific functions to shapes, working under the belief that flat shapes in a kaleidoscopic painting hold an inherent, hidden dimension, where maybe you could see something different from the side of the shape, or even the other end of it. 

Nerikomi allows me to physically realize that idea. Instead of the pattern being painted on the surface, it is structural, running completely through the form. There’s something so beautiful about this total unity of structure, color, and material all wrapped into one. 

   

AD: Are there any artists or ceramicists that inspire(d) you? 

KK: In the last couple of months, I’ve been looking at a mix of painters and ceramic artists for different reasons. With the painters, the common thread is that they use shape and scale in a way that feels odd or novel. And with the ceramicists, I’m really excited by how they use the material in ways I’d love to learn from. 

Painters: Mernet Larsen, Domenico Gnoli, René Magritte 

Ceramicists: Ron Nagle, Masaomi Yasunaga, Peter Pincus 

 

 

AD: When I look at your work, I think of you as an artist that builds universes within their artwork. I feel invited to take in a world that is opening up its internal operating system to us. Would you say that is one of your intentions when making work? What lens would you invite viewers to experience your broader body of works through? 

KK: I’m so glad you see that intention because that’s true. I see all of my pieces as part of the same universe, speaking the same language across different mediums. Lately, I’ve been leaning into this more intentionally by borrowing shapes and silhouettes from previous paintings and translating them into ceramics, and vice versa. 

I’ve always been drawn to things that feel retro-futuristic, like they have one foot in the distant past and one foot in the distant future. I love creating a seamless illusion or a bit of visual trickery, whether that means rendering a faux wood grain finish or casting drop shadows that don't quite abide by the physics of our reality. I want to invite viewers into a feeling of awe or wonder, questioning whether these objects and scenes belong to our world or to some parallel reality.

AD: The objects made for this residency seemingly connect to mindfulness and building a structure in our lives that prioritizes how we connect with art. Can you tell us about what inspired the objects you chose? 

KK: I was thinking about how much it helps to slow down and set a specific atmosphere when you get into your daily routine. Our lives are split into different modes, like working, being creative, or trying to wind down, and I think the objects we surround ourselves with help us transition into those states of mind. 

For this project with Burke, I wanted to design functional things that I would actually use in my own home. I made a smokeless aroma diffuser to bring a calming fragrance into a bedroom safely, and a versatile catch-all plate for a bedside or tabletop. Clay is so versatile, so I went with a wood-grain pattern because I love mimicking other materials. These pieces are designed to act as physical anchors that can be a welcome addition to a daily ritual. 

AD: How does color call to you when you’re creating? 

KK: Color is the ultimate mood setter. I use it to create a specific atmosphere or play with illusion. There are no bad colors, just bad proportions and ratios. You can take a pukey green, put it next to a slim sliver of white or silver, pair it with the right proportion of another color, and end up with the coolest combination. Shapes matter a lot too. It is all totally relative and workable. 

AD: Are there any mediums you’re thinking about working with next? 

KK: I have been really into 3D modeling lately, and there is so much to learn and practice on that end. I have been playing with plaster casting molds all summer long, which is incredibly helpful for creating base forms for clay. It has opened up a new workflow for me where I make a drawing, 3D model it, 3D print a few prototypes, and then cast those items in plaster for ceramic work. From there, I can use them for press molds or slip casting. I am really excited to keep refining this whole process. 

 

AD: Last question, and I think this will make every dog lover happy (Burke is a proud dog-loving business!) Can you tell us about Ripley? 

KK: Ripley is the absolute best. She is a one and a half year old, sixteen-pound Jack Russell mix that I adopted at 12 weeks old from Tobie’s Small Dog Rescue, and she is just the sweetest, happiest, most confident dog. Her best friend is a ninety-five-pound Labrador who lives next door, and they meet up every single morning to get treats together. I bring her into the ceramics studio with me and she just relaxes on her banana bed while I’m working. She is the best dog ever, and I cannot believe I got so lucky with her!