artist-in-residency Callosa de Ensarria

In 2002 the Knecht Drenth Foundation granted me a two month artist-in-residency in one of its studios in the Spanish town Callosa de Ensarria. Now, ten years later, I will return to Callosa de Ensarria for another artist-in-residency. To get in the mood here´s a series I did last time:

Karin Bos, Cocinar con pintura, tempera on wood, 9 x 40 x 50 cm, 2002/2012

Currently I'm working in my Amsterdam based studio after my latest artist-in-residency during the month of October 2012 in Callosa de Ensarria.
This old trailer I came across during a hike to the town Polop, which was unsuccesfull, I was lost, but the trailer fits perfectly in my Slightly Creepy Camping Site series.

Karin Bos, Slightly creepy camping site, oil on canvas, 20 x 30 cm, 2013, private collection The Netherlands

Karin Bos, Flower girl, pencil on paper, 42 x 35 cm, 2012, private collection, the Netherlands

This little flower girl was part of a procession / dance during the Fiestas de Christianos y Moros in Callosa de Ensarria. She just had smacked another flower girl hard in the face and gave me this look when she noticed I had witnessed it. She fits perfectly in my Fairy Queen series!

Karin Bos, Flower girl, oil on canvas, 100 x 70 cm, 2013, private collection, The Netherlands

Karin Bos, Shelter 2, oil on canvas, 40 x 50 cm, 2013, collection CBK Amsterdam.

Shelter 2 is based on a tent I came across when I tried to hike off-road. It was located on the top of a hill in the middle of nowhere surrounded by trash.

Karin Bos, Lost 2, oil on canvas, 70 x 100 cm, 2014, private collection, the Netherlands

The paintings Lost and Mirror are inspired by the gardens of Elche.

Karin Bos, Mirror, oil on canvas, 100 x 130 cm, 2014, collection Factor-IJ, The Netherlands

Karin Bos, Treegirls 3, oil on canvas, 70 x 100 cm, 2014, collection DELA

 The amazing color of the water at the Embalse de Quadalest  inspired me to paint Treegirls 3.

Still of the video Shifting Views I made together with Erik Wuthrich. This short "road movie" was shot between Alcoy and Xixona.
On view at Stedelijk Museum Kampen in 2014 and Museum CAB in Burgos in 2020.

Video Shifting Views at Museum CAB in Burgos, Spain

Video Shifting Views at Museum CAB in Burgos, Spain

Video Shifting Views at Museum CAB in Burgos, Spain

Workperiod at Fundacion Valparaiso in Spain

In 2009 Fundacion Valparaiso in Mojacar, Spain, invited me to work and live there for one month as an artist-in-residence. It was a very fruitfull period and I created several oilpaintings and watercolours.

Karin Bos, Valparaiso 1, oil on canvas, 60 x 80 cm, 2009
On view at CODA Museum Nov 5 2017 - March 4 2018
On view at Museo CAB Feb 7 2020 - May 24 2020

Karin Bos, Valparaiso 2, oil on canvas, 60 x 80 cm, 2009, private collection the Netherlands

Karin Bos, Valparaiso 3, oil on canvas, 60 x 80 cm, 2009
On view at CODA Museum Nov 5 2017 - March 4 2018
On view at Museo CAB Feb 7 2020 - May 24 2020

Karin Bos, Valparaiso 4, oil on canvas, 60 x 80 cm, 2009
On view at Museo CAB Feb 7 2020 - May 24 2020

Karin Bos, Valparaiso 5, oil on canvas, 60 x 80 cm, 2009
On view at Museo CAB Feb 7 2020 - May 24 2020

Karin Bos, Ballerina de la Cueva, watercolor/charcoal on paper, 76 x 56 cm, 2009

Karin Bos, Cacti Giganti, watercolor on paper, 76 x 56 cm, 2009

Karin Bos, No Pasaran 2, watercolor/charcoal on paper, 190 x 150 cm, 2009,
Collection CODA Museum Apeldoorn

Feel Good

In 2001 and 2002 several of my friends invited me to visit them to admire their new born babies. I asked them if they wanted to pose for me. This "Feel Good" series is the result.

I want to thank the models: Marinke, Lydia, Silvia, Eric, Lucy, Karen, Nicky, and again Marinke, and of course their children!

Karin Bos, Feel Good 1, olieverf op doek, 250 x 125 cm, 2001,
part of exhibition She Me at Stedelijk Museum Zwolle

Karin Bos, Feel Good 2, olieverf op doek, 250 x 125 cm, 2001, part of exhibition She Me at Stedelijk Museum Zwolle

Karin Bos, Feel Good 3, olieverf op doek, 250 x 125 cm, 2001,
part of exhibition She Me at Stedelijk Museum Zwolle

Karin Bos, Feel Good 4, olieverf op doek, 250 x 125 cm, 2001

Karin Bos, Feel Good 5, olieverf op doek, 250 x 125 cm, 2001,
part of exhibition 'Maria Idool van alle tijden' at Museum Flehite Amersfoort

Karin Bos, Feel Good 6, olieverf op doek, 250 x 125 cm, 2002,
part of exhibition She Me at Stedelijk Museum Zwolle

Karin Bos, Feel Good 7, olieverf op doek, 250 x 125 cm, 2002,
part of exhibition She Me at Stedelijk Museum Zwolle

Karin Bos, Feel Good 8, olieverf op doek, 250 x 125 cm, 2002

Woodcuts by Karin Bos

Karin Bos, Headtunes, woodcut on paper, 55 x 55 cm, 1996, edition 15

Karin Bos, Peanuts, woodcut on paper, 50 x 85 cm, 1994, edition 9

Karin Bos, Beautiful, woodcut on paper, 30 x 30 cm, 1992, edition 10

Karin Bos, Big Art, woodcut on paper, 30 x 30 cm, 1992, edition 10

Karin Bos, Good, woodcut on paper, 30 x 30 cm, 1992, edition 10

Karin Bos, Great, woodcut on paper, 30 x 30 cm, 1992, edition 10

Karin Bos, Nice, woodcut on paper, 30 x 30 cm, 1992, edition 10

Karin Bos, Well Done, woodcut on paper, 30 x 30 cm, 1992, edition 10

 This Big Art series I created as a humorous comment on the art world is almost sold out.

The 6 woodcuts I call my Big Art series are inspired by the stamps I received as a child at school as a reward for doing a task well. As adults we still depend on others for approval, more often as we would like to; during a job interview, applying for a grant or entering an art contest, we need the "approved" stamp to reach our goal. Especially nowadays, 10 years after creating this series, almost every television program is set up as a contest. It seems as if we are obsessed with the concept of competition.

Karin Bos, Too complex to catch, woodcut on paper, 30 x 150 cm, 1993, edtition 6, SOLD OUT

The texts in Dutch these "party ducks" shout are literally comments I received from art committee members. Stereotypes as "Keep up the good work", "It has something to it", It's a little sloppy", "It has to mature".
One day I received two letters on the same day: one was an approval and the other one a denial.
The first one said, because your work has so much quality we give you this grant, the other one said, because your work has not enough quality, we won't select your work. That's how I learned as a young artist to put the opinions of others into perpective. Relativation helps to develop as an artist, is my experience.

Karin Bos, Beetje slordig, woodcut on paper, 40 x 50 cm, 1994, edition 4

Karin Bos, Ga zo door, woodcut on paper, 40 x 50 cm, 1994, edition 4

Karin Bos, Moet nog rijpen, woodcut on paper, 40 x 50 cm, 1994, edition 4

Karin Bos, Zit wat in, woodcut on paper, 40 x 50 cm, 1994, edition 4

Karin Bos, Fabulous, woodcut on paper, 30 x 30 cm, 1998, commission for Akzo Nobel. (several artists proofs available for purchase)

Lino cutting edge: Showgirls

Karin Bos, Showgirls 1-5, linocut on paper, handcolored with watercolor and pencil, each 56 x 38 cm, 2002. edition of 10

In the summer of 2002 I used the warmth of the sun on my artists studio balcony to make these lino cuts. The heat softens the linoleum and it makes the cutting a little less difficult. The printing studios in Amsterdam were closed for the holidays, so colleagues Marc Kuyper and Joke Baas let me use their press to print it. Thanks again guys! After printing the edition, I hand coloured the lino cuts with watercolour and pencil. 

The edition was a huge success and I sold Showgirl prints to collectors in New York City, Los Angeles, Barcelona, the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, The Stadtische Galerie Bietigheim-Biessingen and Stadtmuseum Borken, both in Germany, as well as to several collectors in the Netherlands. At this point, the series is almost sold out.

The oilpaintings based on the lino cuts, sized 50 x 40 cm, are all sold to private and public colletions in the Netherlands.

Karin Bos, Showgirl 1, linocut on paper, handcolored with watercolor, 56 x 38 cm, 2002.

Karin Bos, Showgirl 2, linocut on paper, handcolored with watercolor and pencil, 56 x 38 cm, 2002.

Karin Bos, Showgirl 3, linocut on paper, handcolored with watercolor and pencil, 56 x 38 cm, 2002. sold out

Karin Bos, Showgirl 4, linocut on paper, handcolored with watercolor and pencil, 56 x 38 cm, 2002.

Karin Bos, Showgirl 5, linocut on paper, handcolored with watercolor and pencil, 56 x 38 cm, 2002.

Karin Bos, Showgirl 1, oil on canvas, 50 x 40 cm, 2002, Collection CBK Alphen ad Rijn

Karin Bos, Showgirl 2, oil on canvas, 50 x 40 cm, 2002, Private Collection Eindhoven

Karin Bos, Showgirl 3, oil on canvas, 50 x 40 cm, 2002, Private Collection Amsterdam

Karin Bos, Showgirl 4, linocut on paper, handcolored with watercolor and pencil, 56 x 38 cm, 2002, Collection CBK Alphen ad Rijn.

Karin Bos, Showgirl 5, oil on canvas, 50 x 40 cm, 2002, Private Collection Eindhoven