When Irene Klar was a kid, her mom used to drag her to museums.
βI knew something had changed, probably by the time I was 12, and I noticed I took much longer in the museum than she did,β Klar says. βWhen I was little, it seemed like she stayed forever. And at a certain point, she was the one telling me to hurry up.β
Klar has now been a professional artist for more than 40 years, focusing on watercolors and etchings.
βI do etchings to make sure Iβm constantly frustrated and to stay really humble,β Klar laughs. βI find watercolors to be more forgiving, so watercolors and I have a better understanding.β
A late friend of Klarβs once told her to βnever be afraid of the struggle.β
βI would say itβs too hard sometimes and that other people have such ease with their medium,β Klar says. βAnd he said, βPeople like to see the struggle. They donβt like it to look easy.ββ
Though Klar has been interested in art since she was very young, she went to college for physical therapy and science.
βAfter working in hospitals for three years, my husband asked why I was doing this when I really wanted to be in art,β Klar says.
With encouragement from her husband, Klar went back to school to receive her degree in fine arts.
βSince then β since 1977 β Iβve always been a painter,β she says, adding that she started etchings about 20 years later and also taught watercolor at the University of Alberta in Canada for at least a decade.
Much of Klarβs artwork is inspired by places sheβs traveled to and cultures sheβs seen along the way.
βIt doesnβt really matter where I travel,β she says. βI get inspired by the same things. Itβs human invention and creativity that keep me going.β
βArt is visual and itβs very hard to make sure that the person youβre talking to sees what it is youβre trying to describe,β she says. βBut I am, and have always been, interested in different cultures and patterns and color. And Iβm amazed at the variety of patterns that people can create and Iβm always equally amazed at how you can see similarities around the world.
βItβs wonderful to just be able to observe other peopleβs worlds and to be somewhere different where youβre not necessarily in control and where you have to be open to new experiences.β
When Klar visits art galleries, she says she looks for βthe sense of awe.β
βIf somebody gets that sense from something Iβve done, itβs sort of the greatest compliment.β