CAROL BAJEN-GAHM
ARTIST
Biography
Although I am a native of Massachusetts, my work has been influenced by time spent in other places. I have been able to spend extended time in Costa Rica, Mexico, Santa Fe, Switzerland, Germany, South Korea and Newfoundland. Many of my paintings reflect the light and atmosphere of my experiences with unfamiliar landscapes and people from other cultures. My abstract painting language developed as a result of Dahn Hak meditation and yoga practice that I began when I lived and taught in South Korea. In 2002 I went to a painting residency at Pouch Cove, Newfoundland, and the light, landscape and people of that beautiful place affected me so much that I bought a house there in 2003. Now I divide my time between Massachusetts and Torbay, Newfoundland.
I have been actively painting since 1989. Before that, I made my living as a professional classical and jazz musician, and the influence of music can be seen in my work. My painting process is intuitive. I like to use color and spatial relationships to create mysterious regions, sensual spaces, and drama to evoke the spirit that lies within. Sometimes my work deals with a particular psychological state or journey of the psyche. I believe that the artist’s energy is transferred to the work of art in the process of creation.
My current focus is painting, but I also work in the mediums of drawing, collage and assemblage and installation.