Q&A and Preview: Getting to Know Keren Toledano
This Harvard grad turned her considerable intellect to her passion which is art and we are so excited to go live with her collection on Thursday, June 3rd at 9 am EST! Before we go live with this release, get to know artist Keren Toledano while enjoying a preview of her gorgeous body of work.
Denouement | 14" H x 11" W | framed | $480
What do you want people to take away from your art?
I want people to see and hear stories in my work. Every composition is a tale told in the absence of language. In my textural collages, I layer paint and fabric as a writer would layer words and ideas. Nothing is flat in life or in art. There is always something beneath the surface.
Flaneur | 20" H x 16" W | framed | $825
How did you first decide to pursue art professionally?
I had writer's block five years ago and I needed an outlet to tell my stories. The more I tried to write, the worse my writer's block would become. So I started painting, to move away from words without abandoning the story. I fell in love with the tactical and technical aspects of art. There's always a creative problem to solve, and nothing feels better than solving a problem. It took me a while to build up the confidence to pursue art professionally, but eventually I took the leap.
Fork in the Road | 20" H x 16" W | framed | $825
Describe a real-life situation that inspired you.
When I was growing up, my mom surrounded us with art. My first encounter with Helen Frankenthaler was at a very young age through one of my mom's art history books. I was enthralled not only by the ethereal beauty of her color field stains, but how she used her dance background in her process - sweeping and moving across those wide swathes of canvas. She didn't use conventional tools - relying instead on the movement of her body. I was a dancer for many years as well, and I was just so inspired by that. Her work, to me, is not only glorious in its outcome, but for being a catalogue of her movement through life.
Ghost in the Machine | 24" H x 18" W | framed | $1,075
What do you enjoy when you're not creating art?
Aside from the obvious and most important of all - spending time with family and friends - I love to travel. I'm less interested in the tourist attractions, and way more interested in how people live. Perhaps it sounds strange for an artist to say, but if i was given an hour in Paris, I'd sit at a cafe and write stories on a napkin, as opposed to straining my neck at the Louvre. I'm not saying I don't love museums. In New York City, they're my second home. But when I travel, I prefer to spend time as an observer of life.
Hyacintho Luno | 14" H x 11" W | framed | $480
What's your favorite part of being an artist?
The license it gives me to experiment. It's really such a meditative process. And it keeps me humble, because I so often fail! And that really is the best part of all - learning to fail and not be bothered.
Hysterical Blindness | 20" H x 16" W | framed | $825
What does success mean to you as an artist?
If it make me better of a person in some way - that is success. Whether by helping me to keep perspective, or learn to live with mistakes, or nurture patience and self-acceptance. Success has nothing to do with outside approval.
King for a Day | 30" x 30" | framed | $2,275
What is your definition of art? / What does art mean to you?
I don't know how else to explain art but by evoking metaphysics - that which delves into the nature of things. Whether the art is realistic or abstract, it recreates life in a way that makes you stop and linger, and maybe see through different eyes. Perhaps that's it, then - art is that which makes one pause, and contemplate what is under the surface.
Real Vs. True | 24" H x 18" W | framed | $1,075
Describe your work in three words.
Layered, geometric, syntactical.
Redacted | 24" H x 18" W | framed | $1,075
What advice do you wish someone had given you when you were starting?
Don't try to confine yourself to one style or idea. Just create. There is always time for curation later. Oh, and invest in good brushes!
Right Intention | 22" H x 20" W | framed | $1,195
Your go-to playlist at home/ at work?
Radiohead, Sigur Ros, Blonde Redhead - ambient music that melts all around you.
String Theory | 20" H x 16" W | framed | $825
Favorite way to spend your weekends?
A day hike, a picnic with wine in New York's Central Park, a visit to the sculpture garden at the MET, then dinner at a restaurant that makes me want to Pinterest the décor! I'm easy with food, but a stickler for good ambiance.
Tipping Point | 19" H x 17" W | framed | $875
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