CHARLENE FALK GALLERY - 7121 E. MERCER LANE, SCOTTSDALE, AZ

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“It is deeper than the surface and beyond the tactile. I bring light to the surface of my paintings that emanates energy from a mystical and spiritual source.”

My journey to becoming a painter began twenty-eight years ago as a way to self-heal from the deep loss of my daughter. That moment has informed my paintings throughout the years and healing remains a constant theme in my work. I believe in bringing light to the surface of my paintings that emanates energy from a mystical and spiritual source.

The main inspiration and departure point for both my abstract paintings and sculptures is nature. I actively observe and respond creatively to the most intricate of details. My canvases express my passion for the natural world, and I endeavor to convey that in abstract form. 

I plan and research each painting, preparing my mind and 

materials. However, my creative act is never planned and, as a result, it is full of artistic surprises. Once I begin to paint, I allow my intuitive sensibilities to take over the process entirely. With complete trust in those instincts, I follow each new mark I make, allowing it to take me in new directions. This is where the creative adventure begins. I work with color spontaneously, creating new colors directly and urgently on the canvas. Light and dark contrasts appear and the ethereal affect from my diluted paints creates translucency. My palette, density of color and sense of space coalesce to create the balance I seek in my paintings. 

The act of painting stirs my soul and I paint with a spiritual intent. During the creative act, I am willing to express my most vulnerable self, and to leave whatever is in my heart, mind, and soul on the canvas. The process is exhilarating and exhausting, but when I arrive at that moment, I know my work is done. When there is nothing left for me to give and the painting is elevated to evoke a spiritual sensation, my impromptu creative dance is complete. With my brushes down, I walk away, and make room again in my mind and soul for my next creative endeavor...

“My heart, my mind, and my soul... They drive my creativity, inspiring my intuitive sensibilities to reveal what is not seen.”

Charlene Falk is an artist who understands the sensibilities of humanity and is inspired by the intricacies of nature.

Falk has been an artist for twenty-eight years. Born in Winnipeg, Canada, she moved to Arizona five years ago and operated her own signature gallery in Scottsdale, AZ, for two-and-a-half years. As a child, she did not have any inclination to create art, and she initially began painting as a way to self-heal from loss. Soon enough, creating art became an all-encompassing aspect of her life. Healing continues to be an important theme in her art. Twenty years ago, she fully embraced the artistic language of abstraction, and since then she has developed her own unique and powerful style, becoming a master at large-scale, color-filled, and emotionally charged abstract paintings. 

Observations of nature are the main point of departure for her work. Even the smallest of details can be inspirational for her, and she draws on this spiritual experience when creating her abstract paintings. The artist keeps an open mind when approaching a blank canvas, availing itself of all its possibilities.

Charlene embraces painting spontaneously, and as a mixed-media artist, she works primarily in oil, adding pastels and other mediums to her canvas. Play is an important part of this artist's method, and with her canvas placed on the floor, she applies and blends her colors completely in the moment, as if in an impromptu dance of color. Each mark moves her in a new direction, and she relies on her finely-tuned instincts to move forward. Color is the key element that the balance of the canvas rests on, and she continues to work until she experiences that visual balance.

Most recently, Falk has started creating sculptures that are also informed by nature. She is the recipient of an award for a public art project through Scottsdale Public Art. Her project, titled “Where We Walk,” will be the subject of an interactive art installation extending two city blocks on Main Street in Oldtown Scottsdale, opening in January 2024. This two-dimensional steel installation depicts illustrative landscapes and provides an innately human experience, communicating that collectively, we all share in the same experiences as we walk through life and that beauty that surrounds us. As  the largest public artwork installation in Scottsdale to date, it is intended to be viewed as you walk by, enabling the viewer to feel a sense of human connectedness and belonging in this world.

An expressive painter and sculptor, Charlene Falk remains committed to her artistic vision and true to her creative self. She lives and works from her studio in Scottsdale, AZ. Her art has been shown in numerous galleries, and she has exhibited in Canada, New York, and Scottsdale. In 2023, Falk was a featured artist in British Vogue. Her artwork is held in numerous private collections internationally and in public collections in Arizona.