Kari Henriksen is a Melbourne-based visual artist best known for her evocative oil paintings of Australian landscapes. Through her works land, sea and sky are atmospherically represented, with the artist showing continual fascination in the effects that weather has on our experience of place.

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Kari Henriksen 'Lost Horizon'

When did you first discover your love of art?

As a child I loved drawing, playing outdoors and making things. I frequently drew in my spare time and have strong memories of often looking up at the sky and making imaginary pictures out of those big fluffy cumulus clouds. Then, in my teens, I became preoccupied with drawing portraits. 

I grew up in a family that saw art as a hobby but not a career, so after completing secondary school I worked for a while at various jobs before realising I needed to follow my heart. I studied Fine Art (Painting) at RMIT and was one of 3 students selected for a postgraduate year in Fine Art, which I found enormously beneficial.  My early work focused on paintings of people, namely portraits and people on the beach. However, even then my interest in light, colour and sense of place was evident.

Kari Henriksen 'Indigo Sky'

Many of your paintings are beautifully atmospheric, capturing the changing effects of weather and light across the landscape. What is it about these fleeting moments that fascinates you?

Over time I became more interested in focusing on how light, weather and atmospheric conditions affect the mood of a place. Inherent in my work, in conjunction with my enduring fascination with clouds, is my conviction about the importance of our connection with nature both physically and emotionally. 

For me, the ocean and sky are contemplative spaces that can sustain us. It’s essential to me that the genesis of my paintings comes from a moment I’ve experienced and witnessed.

Kari Henriksen 'Shoalhaven Morning Mist'

What do you find to be uniquely challenging about representing clouds in your works?

Clouds are intangible, they cannot be grasped and consequentially are regarded as notoriously difficult to paint. The challenge for me as an artist is to create something tangible out of something elusive and ephemeral and to convey the sense of light and atmospheric phenomenon I’ve observed.

Your paintings of land, sea and sky often convey an extraordinary sense of expansiveness, while remaining quiet and intimate. How do you create that balance within a painting?

I enjoy the process of getting into my studio and attempting to solve the visual problems I’ve set myself. It involves mixing and blending the right subtle blend of colours to create a sense of volume. I create those subtle nuances of tones through the soft blending of chromatic neutrals. 

I think all artists have a certain sense of touch that is unique to them. It’s how they hold the brush, the strokes they make and pressure they apply. For me, when I’m painting it’s like I’m feeling my way across the cloud, blending the colours to create a sense of volume.

Kari Henriksen 'Passing Rain Clouds'

When someone spends time with one of your paintings, what do you hope they might feel, notice or discover for themselves?

Choosing to paint clouds consciously involves focusing my gaze upward. Artists can help us to see the everyday differently or help us notice something that has previously been overlooked or taken for granted. I always get a lot of pleasure when people say to me that they saw a “Kari cloud”. It means that through my work I’ve drawn attention to the wonder and beauty around us.

Kari Henriksen 'Arctic Gull'