Karen Koblitz

+1 (917) 477-1937

Karen is an internationally recognized artist and educator whose vibrant ceramic and mixed media works can be found in collections worldwide. She creates pieces for public and private commissions and is currently Head of Ceramics in the University of Southern California’s Roski School of Fine Arts.

Embroidered Memorial

September 07, 2016  /  Karen Koblitz

I am currently working on embroidery piece that memorializes my family members that lost their lives during WWII. Names of my relatives are painted on the interior walls of the Pinkas Synagogue in Prague, where the names of the 77,000 Jews of Czechoslovakia were murdered by the Nazis. Inspired by this powerful listing I’ve decided to create a piece about "family" and embroider their names, city of residence, date of birth and last known date they were on this earth. The samplers photographed are my exploration of use of various fabrics: muslin, linen and utility cloth and experimentation with stitching, embroidery threads and size of the lettering. The color palette and font of the names are similar to that which appears on the wall of the Pinkas Synagogue.

Interior of Pinkas Synagogue

Interior of Pinkas Synagogue

Koblitz Family Members

Koblitz Family Members

Exploratory

Exploratory