“Fleeting, flowing, unwinding, and unraveling, my paintings are curious – inventing shapes, starting conversations with colors, and pondering joy.

I fell in love with Amish Quilts while growing up in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Those colorful blocks of fabric inspired me to think beyond the paintbrush. In history, quilt makers used the sights in the world around them as shapes and symbols in their work. I do the same, but I also look, in particular, for the abstract shapes that come into focus. On a flight, I am transfixed by the shadow and texture of clouds, geometry of farms, calligraphy of rivers, string of highways, and drape of mountains.

In Charleston, when you drive over the bridges, you see a bird’s-eye-view; where local islands, rivers, and marshes spread out in the distance. It’s a very flat perspective of colors - blue, silver, aqua, green, creamy whites and neutral tones. You see the sky mirrored in the waterways and you see loose threads of rivers circling the islands. Picturesque downtown is chock-full of inspiring colors and subjects: pastel homes, wrought ironwork, historic churches, palmetto trees, cobblestone alleys, and the deepest blue sky. It’s the kind of stuff that influences my work – albeit from a new and abstract viewpoint.

In Past Presence, my work takes its cue from the natural world – especially the bloom of flowers in spring and summer. I am using themes of growing, reaching, blossoming, and balance in this new series. Outside the windows of my studio in Wagner Terrace, I watch as the kudzu takes a hold of everything in its path - pulling itself up, reaching for more sun, and growing strong. While I paint this body of work, kudzu weaves and intertwines with the fence, jumps to the roof, and creeps its way to the windows that I watch it from. Perhaps I should put down my scissors and pick up the hedge trimmers? I hear that kudzu can grow up to a foot in a day. Though, these flowers are unusual and abstract, they too sprout, look for more sun, and reach for more space. The blooms weave, unravel, and defy the limits of the canvas by wandering onto the gallery wall.

I use a vocabulary of tricks pulled from quilt making, printmaking, graffiti art, calligraphy, cursive handwriting, and word play in the construction and invention of my Collage Paintings. Working in textiles is something that — physically and metaphorically — I've always been wrapped up in, warmed by, and felt the weight of. I hope my work has that same enchanting hold on the viewer.”

Using fabric, Karin works in a manner that mimics the flow of paint from a brush. Intricately cut, placed, and pasted textiles are combined with gouache, acrylic, and graphite to create Collage Paintings that are deep in color and texture. From a small-town upbringing in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, her interest in Amish quilts and textile traditions led her to study Fiber Art at Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore. For several years following art school, Karin managed a textile studio in New York City, developing colors and patterns for clients, including Donna Karan, Marc Jacobs, Ralph Lauren, and Peter Marino Interior Architects. Now applying her fabric know-how to the realm of painting, Karin finds her collage art featured in numerous group and solo exhibitions. Her work has been featured in American Contemporary Art, Art Business News, Charleston Style & Design, and Charleston Magazine, on the covers of Black & White: Birmingham’s City Paper and Carolina Arts, and as the image for the Charleston Farmers Market 2006 and 2007 posters and street banners. Corporate Collections include pieces in the Carolina Contemporary Collection of MUSC Ashley River Towers, City of Charleston – Office of Cultural Affairs, and Shoestring Publishing Company.

“Olah manipulates cut portions of fabric and paint onto canvas, rendering collage images with movement that suggests clothes fluttering on a line at the beach house, but with a soothing, calm palette of blues, grays, and creams that might suit a wintry afternoon on that same coast. One could just say that her collages are breezy and cool, which would make sense in light of these paintings' indefinable hint of a mid-century modern aesthetic. So cleanly and neatly does Olah arrange each canvas that the tactile quality of the fabric swatches is apparent only up close. So don't glance at these works online and assume you've seen this all before.”

Pelfrey, David. The Arts - Abstract Planes. Black & White: Birmingham’s City Paper, October 30, 2008