I'm so very, very sad to be writing this.
I woke up this morning thinking about death (my father died 23 years ago today).... and then the first post I read on Facebook this morning was by James Hollingworth telling me that Karin Jurick passed away recently - much too soon at the age of 59.
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Karin Jurick on Daily Paintworks |
Friends and family regret to announce the death of
— Karin J (@KarinJurick) June 25, 2021
Karin Jurick. 02/09/1961 - 06/16/2021 pic.twitter.com/oZIjbaGqVl
This was James's heartfelt announcement on Facebook.
In the early 2000's my wife Karen and I were just beginning our art careers auctioning our paintings on eBay. Part of that experience was searching eBay for other artists. It was a productive exercise that turned us on to a wealth of new talent. One day I came across the painting below and asked (practically begged) Karen to split the cost of it if we were to have the winning bid. We won the auction and when we contacted the artist discovered she lived just across town. She said she was a huge fan of our work and would love to deliver the painting herself. A week or so later Karin Jurick showed up at our door and twenty years later was still one of our closest and dearest friends. Tragically, a few days ago she suddenly passed away.
Karin was a remarkable woman to say the least. She was tough but had a huge heart. She was funny, smart witty and a true genius at painting. Karin was a virtuoso with a paint brush. Karen and I would watch her paint on occasion and we would just sit there with our mouths open in awe. Karin was also one of Karen's most trusted advisors. If Karen had a question, about practically anything, Karin would always give her her honest opinion on that subject. Karin had a way of cutting through the BS, so you knew when she spoke it was the laser focused truth.
Karen and I shared numerous shows with her and took quite a few trips to the beach with her and Brett her partner of thirty years. Karen and I would frequently meet on their side of town for lunch at their (and our) favorite Mexican restaurant. I can't tell you how much I looked forward to those visits, or describe the size of the hole her passing has left in my heart. I love you Karin. James Hollingsworth
Karin has been one of the constants in my blogging life for very many years.
We corresponded on a number of occasions. Often with me telling her she'd won yet another award in The Making A Mark Awards!
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Click the pic to see it BIGGER and read my nomination properly - in which I try to explain what made Karin special for me |
I treasured notes like this one - which I received after telling her she'd won yet again in the Person Category! She was a very kind person and always so very appreciative of those who supported her as I did - so very many times over the years.
What follows is a resume of Karin's life online - lest we forget all those
wonderful paintings.
Interspersed by videos of her paintings and a podcast in which you can hear
her voice....
About Karin Jurick
This is Karin talking about her life and how she became a painter - followed by a summary of different aspects of her artistic life.
In a nutshell, I wanted to be an illustrator when I started college. Instead, I ended up helping my parents run a business - and after losing both my mom and dad - I became the owner. My shop was in business for nearly 32 years, I recently closed up for good.
After 15+ years of not doing any art, in 2004 I started painting. I sold enough on eBay to build a studio in my back yard - then began using oils for the first time.
That lead to selling more paintings on eBay - then a year later I entered work in a gallery. A year later, I entered into another gallery, then another. Now I’m in a comfortable place - doing larger works for those three galleries while I continue to paint small pieces that frequently auction on eBay.
I take my camera everywhere, paint from those photos - moments in time, people just doing their thing. "Stuff about me" on her website
- her major motif was her paintings of people looking at paintings.
- however, she also loved painting people in other settings which she called "Peoplescapes" - figurative paintings of everyday people in everyday places. I think one of the reasons I loved her paintings was that she wasn't afraid to paint people and, as well as being an amazing painter she also had an absolutely brilliant eye for composition and design - much admired by me.
- This is her Past Paintings Archive
- I used to love Karin's humour - and 'bite' - as seen for example in All the President's Swamp - which painted various well known faces in orange overalls.
- Back on 1 January 2011, after writing to her about another win in the Making A Mark Awards, one of my emails said the following to her.....
I think you have that talent for producing paintings people can really relate to - especially other artists - and at the same time having a informal approach which also is very clear and principled. It's a recipe that works and it's especially effective when it's completely genuine!
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| Winner of Best Picture of the Year (Portrait/Figures) 2010 "Hands of Time" by Karin Jurick A Painting Today, 8 x 11" oil on masonite |
“I love to paint my two lifelong obsessions - the human figure and an endless catalogue of amazing works of art.” Karin Jurick
- A Painting Today - which she strapped line as being
The results of the life of a Paintaholic
- BUST-ED - about 100 faces painted from mugshots - which I thought was a brilliant idea for a series.
- Diff'rent Strokes From Diff'rent Folks - which no longer exists - but I know will be remembered fondly by many, many people. (You can see Part 4 of her You Tube Videos about this project)
Karin Jurick has an unusual story. She starts out as many artists do- As a child, she drew obsessively and was always drawn to expressing herself creatively. At the age of 18, she took over her parents framing business and made a good living not making art, but still surrounded by it. But here’s where it’s a little different: After 9-11, her framing business took a downturn. In a desperate attempt to save the shop and to keep from having to layoff her employees, Karen began painting.
She was able to keep the framing business going, and her employees kept their jobs for another 7 years by subsidizing the shop with the sales of her artwork.
Eventually painting became more lucrative than her framing business and she took a leap of faith and began to paint full time. It was almost an accident when she learned to sell art online.
Savvy Painter
- I think she could have sold her paintings many times over. Rather than creating reproductions, she instead created books about her paintings which she then sold via Blurb
- I particularly liked that she invented and then shared/sold her customised design for a table top easel. She - and Brett (the easel guy) - were Joint Inaugural Winners of my Art Innovation of the Year award in 2011.
- You can hear her voice in the Savvy Painter Interview with her Karin Jurick talks about how to sell your art online
- You can hear her voice on some of her videos about her exhibitions - in which she introduces her paintings (although most were made over 10 years ago and the clarity is associated with then rather than now). Try We The People - her first solo exhibition.
- Her videos always had great music too. She really thought about presentation and how to engage with people when showing her art.
Our hearts are heavy. The world lost an incredible artist and human this week, Karin Jurick.Her figures and compositions allowed people to feel connected to the works of art they love. In addition to being a warm, caring person with a strong presence, she was a remarkable self-taught painter.
Karin Jurick 2nd September 1961 - 16th June 2021 (age 59)
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