“I feel the urge of a sculpture as a bubble in my belly, similar to the first stirring of a new life within.”

Swildens draws inspiration from symbols and mythology in her pursuit to create aesthetic objects that both delight and provoke the senses. Each sculpture expresses an impulse, and once that impulse reaches its viewer, she gladly leaves any interpretations to the eye of the beholder.

Karin Swildens was born in Holland, raised in Morocco where she learned French, and studied at "Les Arts Décoratifs" in Paris. She started professionnally as a painter and illustrator.

In 1980, shortly after coming to the United States she began to create wood sculptures as a way to see and touch the "other side" of her paintings. By 1982 she focused her energy on clay and has loved it with a passion ever since. Stories, experiences, imagination and mythology are the basis of her inspirations. She uses archetypal and personal symbols to convey a message of respect for "Joy and Humor in Life".