artist's interview: ARHIA KOHLMOOS

Faith & Soil Cycles, painting

pristine pink heart ~ Arhia! 

oldskool kelly & Arhia 

Concept/ion, oil on panel

In Spite of Everything, drawing

Constellation, oil on panel

the magical weaver herself ~ Arhia!

Sisters, pen and ink

Essential Self-Worship, oil on panel

my first Arhia Kohlmoos sighting took place about 6 or 7 years ago now in a Wisconsin stairwell. she wore a long flowing skirt, round sunglasses, and a mouth poised in self-protection. i was instantaneously curious about this gal. ... once interwoven as beings/friends, which took a lil bit of "seeing/peeping-before-hugging," the connection we created was quick, loyal, and of sisterly knowing. i am deeply grateful for all the phases we have thus far seen each other through ~ and here’s to all the golden pathways ahead.

early memories of my developing friendship with Arhia centered around long walks, long talks, long lunch dates, and long gazes at each other’s creative work. Arhia is a brilliant painter, but i felt first connected to her fantastical, brilliant, and highly focused drawings. ... we are friends to this day; we continue to honor and understand each other’s innate connection(s) to dreams and intuitively derived visions for art.

to pull directly from Arhia’s bio: “Arhia was home-schooled in a forest. She was sheltered by a cabin her Father built pursuing Thoreau, and fed from her Mother’s garden. She was quenched by water pumped from an artisanal well. She was warmed in the winter by a wood-fire stove, which was fed with logs hewed by four axe-wielding sisters."

kelly: thanks so much for agreeing to this interview! please, i would love for you to discuss (in the form of memories and/or present day reflections) the rarity of growing up as you did. has this experience impacted your imaginative capabilities?

Arhia: ah, kelly-bird! I want to thank you for giving me this opportunity to share--- you have such a unique ability to *see* folks; you encourage them so gently to reveal themselves. ... well, i would say right away that the particularities of my childhood formed me in such a complete way... that to imagine myself the product of a more conventional upbringing is utterly impossible. I would not be "me." All of the things that i make (the art, i suppose one might say) are like threads leading back to experiences, objects, places, people, from the time i spent as a child living in the woods. I know that being home schooled was crucial, too--- I think that (unfortunately!) public school basically teaches children to forget their individuality... creativity is all about surprises; the unexpected. I was so lucky to have the freedoms i did--- to play in the pond all day, or sew dolls, or read whatever i wanted. I didn't know what it was like to be bored, and I didn't ever get burned out on learning. I think the way I grew up also allowed me to retain a certain "naïveté" that I see as vastly important in my experience of the everyday world. I have to say too that I can't imagine what sort of person I would be if I hadn't grown up with four sisters so close to me all the time. Really, I feel like we're still five parts of one being... we all inhabited a private land of "Kohlmoosia" together; we five are the only natives. That will never change.

kelly: i really enjoy the artist’s statement you have created on your WEBSITE. ... talk to me about intimacy, beauty, time, and consciousness as concepts you are connected to.

Arhia: Thanks--- I wrote that a couple years ago so I should probably update it! But what is written there certainly still applies. I have always understood the world in a very "sensual" way--- that is to say, i am affected deeply by what I take in through the five senses. There is also a more cerebral side to the paintings I construct, but I think that what essentially drives me is a desire to make spaces in which every element is a delight, a mystery, a thrill to the senses in some way... where each element is necessary, none without purpose. I find myself trying to do this in the places I live, as well as in my paintings. Intimacy; I like small spaces. I like private spaces, where there are secrets to discover. Intimacy draws you closer... small paintings ask you to come near... like a whispered secret poem shared close from mouth to ear. As for consciousness: I remember trying, as a child, to come up with a way of defining in words what ME was--- and I thought that "consciousness" best described it. I feel like this consciousness is the ME that no one else in the universe can be... I picture that if this consciousness were to leave the body I call mine right now, there would still be a ME. My consciousness is ME, and its way of explaining its uniqueness is through paintings. Does that make any sense? Boy, I sound totally hippie-dippy! Or maybe just dippy. But there it is! and finally (I know i'm not addressing these concepts in order!)--- time is crucial to me in creating meaning. Just like how one builds relationships with family, with a lover, with a friend, with a place--- time is so important. In order to build a relationship of meaning with(in) art, I must spend a long time making it. As long as is necessary. I must give it the time it asks of me.

kelly: are you always *Arhia the painter?* i mean, is this purpose (this identity) a constant for you?

Arhia: I believe it is... because when i am feeling mundane and meaningless, I remind myself of what i can make through painting. And that reminder serves to bring back my sense of identity. Like I said in the previous question i guess--- about my consciousness expressing its ME-ness through painted images.

kelly: what are your 3 most favorite flowers? what are your 3 most favorite meals? what is your favorite tea these days?

Arhia: Ooh, what fun! Three flowers that have always been favorites are forget-me-nots, wild roses, and johnny jump-ups... they all grew in our garden when i was a kid of course. I used to have johnny jump-ups as decorations on my birthday cake, because they have the best color of purple in the whole world... and you can munch em, too. I also like goldenrod and asters though; they bloom into the autumn which is the time of year i like most in Wisconsin. Right now I think three of my favorite things to eat are miso soup with nori and vegetables, big green salads with things like tomatoes and avocados (too $$ for often though) and... the soy ice cream from Trader Joe's! I also consume a lot of soy milk with clover honey from Trader Joe's. I love so many kinds of tea, but lately i've really been into mixing matcha green tea powder with ginger powder--- so cleansing! The combination of loose leaf green tea and lavender flowers is also a recent stimulating blend.

kelly: talk to me about fashion, music, and India. how do these things impact you and your work?

Arhia: Mmm, fashion. If I had ever get to a point when I'm selling work, I will definitely be spending more $ on clothes and perfume and such. My favorite fashion magazine is "W"--- I really love finely crafted things for the body--- I love the purely sensual aspect of good clothing, beautiful clothing; I also love how wearing the right article can change my state of mind. I am strongly affected by the reality of *bodies*... my own and other people's. When someone isn't afraid of sticking out in a crowd, it is fascinating to see how he/she views his or her body--- what decorations this or that individual sees as appropriate... I definitely view fashion as a form of art... and yes most of it is bad, as is most art, most movies, most music... you know what I mean. Music does inspire me; sometimes more directly, sometimes less. Recently I've been listening to a lot of Joanna Newsom, since her new album (have one on me) just came out. The images she creates in my head with her words are a huge inspiration... she has her finger right on the pulse of the beauty/weirdness/wonder that i try to paint in pictures. Her songs are also really intelligent, and they are highly intricate: you never get it all at the first listen. You have to spend so much time with her and what she has created... you want to... I am trying to get folks to want that from my pictures. Then, i've always been inspired by classical music in a really deep way, though there are many MANY types of music i spend time listening to. Mom used to play Mozart on the piano when she was pregnant with me (and all my sisters in turn)--- and Beethoven, Scarlatti, Bach, Debussey... and the feeling that music still gives me is like my other memories from childhood. I am still painting my way back to that feeling. and India? Well, I've never been there. But I guess one thing I can say is, everything I've read about that place makes me think I probably should have been born there instead of America. What I mean by that is, the culture in India--- product of a long, LONG history--- seems like it would be more comfortable to my consciousness than the one I was born into. Perhaps I may sound ignorant saying that, but ah well. It seems to me that stories are part of the cultural mindset in a way they aren't here... spirituality has so much more to do with the earth and the body... and the concept of beauty I see in life there fits with my own. I hope I have a chance to visit India someday.

kelly: arhia! you are currently working toward your Master’s Degree in Painting. how do you like Boston? how the heck do you like your program? what do you enjoy about having your own studio space?

Arhia: Mmm kelly, after applying to 19 grad schools in over two years, you can imagine how great it feels to actually be here living it. There have been ups and downs of course... as you know, the big city makes you struggle and compete to survive. But I was just thinking about it the other day, and I can't say this isn't one of the most exciting times of my life thus far. I love Boston--- I really, really do. It is the most "European" city I've even experienced in this country, so diverse, quite beautiful in parts, has an unbelievable number of opportunities... and is also walkable, which is important to me. It's not big enough to be totally overwhelming. I also really love the high density of colleges and universities here--- it makes for a heady atmospheric cocktail of intellectual vigor and idiotic youthful partying... I like my program at SMFA quite a bit. It isn't exactly what I expected--- I really have to search out the sort of mentoring/training in technique and craftsmanship that i so much desired to experience in graduate school. It is not an automatic part of this program. Here they focus much more on theory, philosophy, the "language" of the art world. It's not very practical--- which isn't to say it's not valuable. I simply have a lot of adjusting to do. I love how interdisciplinary it is in that there are folks here doing such radically different work from myself. I love that. It reminds me of why i liked being at Lawrence for undergrad, a liberal arts school with people in many areas. So I get frustrated here sometimes--- it costs so much and the school is still so tight on money! We don't get a lot to work with. But I'm going to make the best of it, concentrate on the positive aspects, and finish out the next two years. Oh, and I LOVE having my own studio space. It is crucial. I can't wait for the day when I have a "real" studio--- much bigger and even more private. That will come after school is over I imagine.

kelly: i had the pleasure of conversing with you while i was in Iowa (not too long ago) about your most recent painting. it is titled, Concept/ion, and can be viewed at the beginning of this article. Arhia, are you interested in sharing what fueled the creation of this piece? ... what is obvious to me as a friend and viewer is that your craftsmanship bounded forward so boldly with this painting. where did this shift in energy come from?

Arhia: Hmmm, yeah... I find it difficult to do this one justice with words. I mean, I didn't really begin Concept/ion in a very intellectual way... it was quite intuitive... but you know how it is! And they keep telling me I need to learn how to talk about my art, which is totally valid! So i'll give it a whirl. I began thinking about this subject when my sister became pregnant with her first child last year. She's the first of us to have a child--- and it seemed to change my whole perspective on how time passes. I also thought a lot about what I'm sure most women mull over at some point: do I want a child? How would having one change who I am *as a woman*? Can I be a "real" woman if I choose NOT to have a child? Does having a child mean I am more ~alive~ than someone who doesn't? Do I deserve less love if I never become a mother? Then other things.... how is this linked to creativity? If I say art-making is as fulfilling to me as child-bearing, will I be dismissed? IS art-making as fulfilling as child-bearing? Painting is a process in which I continually re-birth myself along with the concept and the object... so there is that, too. I identify with the baby as well as the woman in the picture. I am the concept, I am the child, I am the creator and the mother/woman. I see what I've painted as hopeful; there is much vibrancy, much life. It is a questioning... not easy questions... but necessary ones. I think that's all I have to say about it at the moment.

kelly: i give you $11,111. what do you do with it, peach?

Arhia: Oh man, Kelly! I've been sitting here contemplating this question, and it's way tougher than it looks at first! I guess my first answer would be that I'd use it to get me through the next two years of school!!! But that's so boring. I waste so much time thinking/worrying about money, but i don't know... maybe i'd save it until i had my degree, and then i'd use it to spend as long as possible living in another country. Probably Italy or the Netherlands. I love nothing more than living in Europe, and I also love nothing more than spending every day all day painting and walking! Combine the two and that would be total bliss. Also maybe I'd buy a few awesome pairs of shoes. And dresses. And some fresh salmon.

kelly: Arhia! you’re headed to Amsterdam for a brief stint this summer. what draws you there? why would you love to live there in the near future?

Arhia: Yes yes, Amsterdam! I can't believe that's happening. I will only be there for a week, but it will be so important. I applied to go there on a travel grant because i am obsessed with Northern European Renaissance Art. Like Van Der Weyden, Memling, Bosch, etc. I want to experience the place for myself--- the place where these sorts of works were created. And as far as living there... so many reasons! The Netherlands is a really progressive country, socially. It also has the most bikeable cities in the world! Which is awesome because Myer and i will never have cars. I like the placement of the Netherlands in Europe; it would be easy to travel around to different countries. All that combined with the historic nature of the place, the beauty, and the art.... Well, there you have it, darling.

kelly: i would love for you to discuss your sisters. i mean, there were five of you sisters on your family’s little acreage, so close. the bond of sisters (sisterhood) is like ...

Arhia: Ah, kelly.... yes. I guess I spoke about my sisters a bit in answer to your first question. You're right, it is like "whoa" pretty much. We are five points of a star, and each just a diamond-shaped *bit* without the others. I miss them all. Our relationships have not always been easy; we go through difficult phases like any other family. When i'm at odds with any of them, or just can't get in touch--- it hurts. I have dreams about them, and it hurts a lot. But that's part of it, you know? We're all unique and creative people with our own idiosyncratic problems... it will never be perfect. But I trust that worse times will always change back to better times. I think about Rhiannon, Annwn, Mirra & Cirrus every day. I love and respect them all so much. They are the most amazing people I will ever meet.

kelly: Arhia! what are your ultimate aspirations in life and as an artist?

Arhia: Such questions, kelly! This is a good question--- difficult to confront. I would like to see this in my future: my lovely boy and myself, living in Groningen, the Netherlands... in a small but pretty place, with a studio for me and private spaces for him too. A piano. A garden. I would make and sell paintings, and Myer would have a career in which he was happy--- a stimulating career that would give him the challenges and the fulfillment he needs. I am not sure what that would be. I see us having enough money to travel once or twice a year, enough to ease the stress of daily life. That is all. We'd have a library with all the books I used to love as a child, and all the ones I've loved over the years. And all Myer's philosophy and music. Yes, that is what I want. Simultaneously unglamorous and difficult to achieve! But I'm not letting it go easily...

kelly: please list 4 reasons why you love your delicious husband, Myer. please list 4 reasons why you love yourself. please list 3 reasons why you love me! :P

Arhia: Haha! just that many? Let's see... Myer. I love him because of his unconventional, energetic, open, creative mind. I love him because he plays with me; together, we are always playing a game of "let's pretend." It makes us child-like, and fresh. I love him because he is an adventurer with a sense of humor--- life is exciting with him in it. And I love him for his gentle tenderness... which somehow comes from such a mysterious place. Myer is so deep. If he were a pool, I could never see the bottom... and myself? Goodness. I like that I am sensitive, I like that i am disciplined, I like that I can see all religions as *true*, and I like that I will never quite "grow up" and become cynical. Ah, you, fair bird! You. I remember when I first saw you, March 2003 after I transferred to Lawrence. Top floor of Main Hall; I was sitting outside waiting for my Catholicism classroom to open up. You walked by, such a vision of glitter and velvet! You had on a long blue velvet skirt... that's when I saw you as a bird of paradise. I stared up at you! But you were in your own place. I thought, who are the people who get to be friends with this girl? How does one get seen by her? What a mystery! What a feeling it would be to stand in her lighted ring. I love you because you're still that shimmering vessel of mystery; I love you for your beauty, which I see all about you, when you move, when you are still, outside, inside, above, beyond to other lives. I love you because of your infinite generosity with others... you give all of yourself to me when you listen. To have such courage--- it is a gift. I love you because of your magical creativity, which I at once both fully understand and will never comprehend. Your slow careful weaving of words, objects, relationships into such a glorious life-tapestry! You inspire me. I think that was more than 3 reasons. But seriously, girl! I can't narrow it down to that.