Karen Usborne’s Abstract Expressionism
One true artist shouldn’t follow nature nor reality. It seems that there is no control over the
process of painting. Mistakes can make your hands fly and are in favor of painting the artistic
experience. Abstract expressionism is also called existential art because artists are always
searching for identity and trying to answer questions about human existence. Inner,
psychological issues, a confrontation between a man and nature, a quest for spiritual balance are
the leading ideas of this artistic representation.
Spontaneity and immediacy cause features of psychic automatism. Pictures look childish with a
purpose. There are no rules to follow, artists to look up to. The London artist, Karen Usborne,
rejects everything that restrains her remaining forever open, so her art becomes a manifestation
of internal content. The act of painting itself is pure automatism. The abstract artist like herself
is in the search for the subconscious shutting down the voice of consciousness.
Inner World
Karen Usborne gives the most important place for the tone and color. The point is confirmation
of the individual. Therefore, it’s almost impossible to talk about movement, only about the style
of Karen Usborne’s paintings. The artistic experience itself during the work on a picture is even
more important than the result itself. Projecting the mix of individual philosophy, abstraction,
childishness and primitive into a visual form, an artist Karen Usborne invented the process of
painting of her own.
Abstract art isn’t abstract. Painting is an expression of the painter’s inner world and somehow,
painting is the painter himself. Pictures of Karen Usborne look alive, there is an important
emotional value in her paintings. The idea about free personal expression comes from Carl
Gustav Jung. All the contemporary artists of abstract expressionism find inspiration in their spiritual world.
They use a lot of geometrical shapes. It can also be seen in the work of London artist of ours.
Subconscious mind
Nature, Gravity, and Abstract are the keywords of her art. Why butterflies? Why half a fish? If
there are wings of butterflies, where is their body? Why did she do that?
What is gravity for us? Is that the rule of how we are supposed to move? Are we on some sort of
space party? Why is she looking at stars and space so much? Maybe we shouldn’t try answering
those questions, but that’s where inspiration comes from. The world around us is similar to the
world in ourselves. In many cases, borders are thin.
We can say that everything a human being makes is a big part of the subconscious part of our
mind. So, the conscious mind is only one aspect of human existence. Yes, everything we know
about science, art or anything else is done consciously, but the soul is always battling, and we
keep doing experiments with ourselves.
While looking at the pictures
Creating art is painful. Maybe Karen Usborne’s black and white pictures are the synonyms for
the conscious and subconscious mind, for heroes of light that need to fight against the beasts of
darkness.
It doesn’t matter what we know about ourselves, but what we don’t know and what we are not
given to know. What is important is the experience. In every-day living, in work, in
representation, in creation. How do we see everything that is happening to us? What kind of
associations a piece of art revives in us? The goal is to wake up and develop your potential which
is crucial for your future, to nurture everything you forgot about yourself, but which is an energy
core of authentic functioning.
Contact Karen Usborne directly to arrange a viewing enquiries@karenusborneartist.co.uk. Alternatively follow @KarenUsborneArtist and @KUsborneart.
Last modified: July 13, 2023
