Artist Profile: Kari Van Tine

Kari grew up in a log cabin in the middle of the Maine woods. At night after all the farm chores were done, her father would read out loud from his library and she would draw. From the beginning, stories were integrated into Kari's visual world. She drew whatever she could imagine, often drawing to understand, drawing places and people from literature, from her family and from the world around her. Kari's illustrations are inspired by the mysterious and magical and influenced by children’s literature. Her studio work is informed by music and dance, as she studied for years as a classical, ballroom and improvisational dancer. Rich, vibrating pools of color hold and sculpt her figures. Translating (or extending) her internal experience, Kari creates images that explore sentience, intimacy and personal stories. Her images often tell non-linear stories and hover on the edge of déjà vu. The feelings range from contented union to separation and dislocation. Kari received her BFA in painting from the Portland School of Art in Maine, studied printmaking in Edinburgh, Scotland and received an MFA from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. She currently lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where she has a beautiful sun-filled studio in an old train station. Some of her clients include: Carolina Alumni Review, The New York City Ballet, Spirituality and Health Magazine, Wolters Kluwer, Lannoo, John Wiley & Sons, Psychotherapy Networker and Cengage Learning.