Today we’d like to introduce you to Kari Serrao

Hi Kari, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.

I am a self employed full time artist and decorative painter living in Toronto and working as far afield as Europe.
Being an artists is all I ever wanted as a child, drawing and painting were pretty much the only things I focused on in school growing up in Trinidad – which gradually lead me to post secondary education here in Toronto.
Following graduation in the early ‘90’s I worked for an interior designer here in the city for whom I did some mural work, her projects were published in Canadian House and Home and from there my decorative painting career took off.
After about 15 years or so of this being my primary creative focus I decided to explore the possibility of a fine art practice once again.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?

The career of an artist is never a “smooth road”. We face rejection, and are plagued with self doubt and insecurity. It requires the development of a pretty thick skin. We pour ourselves into our work and as such there is a real vulnerability in putting that work out there for the world to see.
As a self employed artist I’m faced with financial insecurity, some shows are great, some not so much. Some decorative painting proposals are successful, others get shelved. It’s quite the roller coaster at times.
It’s also a solitary vocation, which, to be honest I usually prefer BUT that too can weigh heavily at times.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?

As a full time artist there are two facets to my career.
One, my current fine art practice focuses on the exploration of the human condition through animal portraiture. It has become quite personal of late, allowing myself to explore this vulnerability is something I’m proud of. My earlier series of paintings were very well received – moving in a different direction has been quite nerve wracking at times.

The other, my decorative art business involves working with interior designers and homeowners to create environments reflecting the personality of both the space and those who inhabit it. Unlike my fine art practice this is geared to the client – it is less personal.
I think that what sets me apart here is my ability to adapt to the needs and style of the end user, I have no ego about this work except to say, very confidently that it is executed extremely well.

Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?

I was a bit of a nightmare growing up. My dad relocated our family to his birthplace – Trinidad – when I was five, he did this, in large part on a 2 masted sailboat – he was the only person on board who could sail – it was terrifying. That journey largely formed my behaviour for the next couple of decades.

In retrospect I grew up being afraid a lot – in order to mask that fear I was loud and often obnoxious, prone to irritability, I was generally considered to be a trouble maker. In later years this behaviour was diagnosed as a result of clinical depression.
I was not a very good student, I was impatient and impulsive, often getting into trouble. The only place I excelled scholastically was in the art room.

Please do not think it was all dreadful – growing up in the Caribbean was wonderful back in the ‘70’s and ‘80’s and I wouldn’t change it for a thing.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.kariserrao.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kariserrao