A Glimpse into the Artistic Journey of Karlie Kafka
Text and Photography by Holly Matkin
On a desolate stretch of Montana backroad, just before the dim hues of day crest the eastern horizon, the telltale banging and clanging of a rolling horse trailer usher in a new morning. At an hour when the idea of activity seems asinine to most, Karlie Kafka is taking one of her six horses to the foothills of the Bear Paw Mountains to get a head start on what she calls “a day at the office.” Riding through the rolling hills as the radiant sunrise climbs over the mountaintops, it becomes easy to understand how such inspiration can make a person feel overcome by the need to create.
As a multi-medium artist and photographer, Karlie relies on the scenes and events around her to provide fodder for her drawings, stipplings, paintings and cartoons. The click of her camera is ever-present as she works on her family’s fourth generation ranch near Havre, Montana. “I used to paint strictly from photos, but later I realized I could take five photos and make something from them. I can piece together certain parts of a place to create something that’s totally different.”
The subjects in Karlie’s art pieces often highlight the magnificence of wildlife and landscapes, although she has been known to let nature take a more active role in her creative process. “I had this idea for rain art,” she explains, “so I went outside and hung up a watercolor paper and started painting on it. I just let the rain do whatever it wanted to do – blend the colors, make them run a little. People just went crazy for them!”
In her quest for new ideas, Karlie’s globetrotting excursions have led her to Ireland, Australia, England and the Czech Republic, yielding a trove of inspiring material. “I like being able to capture the culture of the country I’m in. I try to look for things that will define that culture. A lot of my work has Celtic influence. I just always have gone back to that.”
Back at home, Karlie’s ideas pour onto paper and canvas in a setting that is somehow both unceremonious and sentimental. “My mom insisted on watching me paint, so my studio is in a little corner of a walkway off of the kitchen. It’s on an old card table that she told me I was not to get any paint on, and now there’s paint all over it.” Even after her mother passed away in 2015, Karlie opted to continue working in the place her mom had chosen – with a slight upgrade. “I got myself an easel last year, “she laughs, “It was my birthday present to myself.”
At just 26 years old, Karlie’s passion for new experiences and fresh artistic content continue to propel her future plans. “I want to capture cultures from different countries and feature them as a series called ‘Around the World in 80 Pieces,’” she explains. “My main goal is to make artwork that makes people say, ‘I want to be there.’ ”
