Karen Gundersheimer

I had a long career illustrating picture books, and wrote some myself. I worked for Pantheon, Harper & Row, Little Brown, etc., also freelance illustration for children’s magazines.

After decades of working to deadlines and the constraints inherent in illustration, I discovered a totally different interest: Working with found objects. I picked up random bits on long walks. Cities are gold mines for junk— bent wires, beads , stray earring, colored glass worn down to resemble beach glass, bottle caps, washers, broken tail lights— anything that caught my eye and fit in my pocket. And anything that had a hole, so I could wire pieces together. I had no idea such things were called “assemblages” or that other artists worked with materials no one else wanted. ARTE POVERA, (Italian for poor art) uses scrap fabric, stained cardboard, crushed metal and any of the amazing bits that are lost along the way. Everything is grist for the mill.

My immense collection of found objects was drastically culled when we downsized & moved here in 2018. I continue to be fascinated by the challenge of giving disparate bits a form— so a newer interest in college was a logical follow up.

I trust my intuition, have a very particular affinity for anything clearly hand-made, crooked, slightly “off.”  I am grateful to live in such a dynamic place, with all the music, theatre, art, plus Arts Center Sarasota.