Meet Karl Zurflüh | Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Karl Zurflüh and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Karl, where are your from? We’d love to hear about how your background has played a role in who you are today?
I am from Tacoma WA, one of the most beautiful places on earth for 3 months of the year. Tacoma is 30 mins south of Seattle and was supposed to be the biggest city of the area due to its deeper ports. Growing up in the 80’s it had become an abandoned city. Most of the businesses had dried up due to the mall, and most of the people down there were outpatients from the mental ward that they would drop off for the day. The Hill Top community right outside of downtown was hit hard by crack, giving the downtown area an even rougher edge. When I turned 13 this place became my playground. My friends and I would take the bus to Hill Top and skate down the long hill into the heart of city. It being a forgotten place, no one bothered us, we could skate anywhere and do whatever we wanted. For years we would go downtown and skate all day. To us, we didn’t see the bad stuff we only saw potential. This outlook has stuck with me my whole life. There is always opportunities out there even in the most dire situations, success can be found. When I moved to Seattle in the 90’s Tacoma always came up, it was a city that got no respect in the area, the butt of everyone’s joke. I am proud of my city and the people that come from it. Everyone I know from there has created their lives from nothing and are still willing to help you out. These underdog stories ignite my passion, just like when someone says I can’t do something. It gives me a familiar charged feeling to push through the obstacles and achieve my goals. This passion will always be with me, thank you Tacoma.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I enjoy art work that mentally challenges the viewer through emotional content. For me, art without emotion or some sense of a narrative, doesn’t get me going. I enjoy pretty things, but some art for art sake, can feel flat and lifeless. What sets me apart from other artists is my willingness to dive deep into the emotional subject matter and use my plethora of skills to tell a universal story that is aesthetically pleasing. All of my skills have come from doing a lot of different art jobs. I have spent a lot of time working different facets of the art world, which has giving me a range of techniques to apply to any project. My current body of work centralizes around the loss of my father (a Navy Pilot KIA) and how not dealing with it for 30 some odd years has affected my life. Through this work I am trying to engage the viewer into a discussion about mental health and positive ways of dealing with grief. I am using all of my past experiences to create moving paintings that help all that view them. In them you can see my career as an Illustrator & graphic designer. You can see my decades of spray painting, mixed with my loose brush stokes that I have been doing since I was a kid. This body of work is truly all of me.
The toughest part about an art career is that no two paths are the same. For other professions there are ever-changing formulas to follow to direct you into that field. Not for art. I did not grow up with an art mentor to guide me, so a lot of what I have learned has been through trial and error. That is why I enjoy teaching or talking to younger people whom are interested in this field. I am happy to share my story to help anybody achieve their goals. Perseverance is how I have overcome most of my obstacles. Failing and learning from that failure, and trying again is how I have gotten here.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
My favorite spots in the city are not what some would call tourist locations. I still skate so my tour would be to skate parks or DIY locations for me and my guests to enjoy. San Pedro, Bronson, Griffith, & Belvedere would be some of my desired spots to go to. Outside of skating I would want to go the Troubadour to see some music, then probably end up at the Burgundy Room to close out the night. I would also take my guests to the Arts District & Little Tokyo to explore and look for some good eats.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would like to shout out my wife Sara. We have known each other for about 25 years and I can truly say she is my best friend. She is always there with positive encouragement and fun ideas on how to tackle what life throws at us. She is an artist as well, and I love talking about ideas and processes with her. Her perspective on creating is totally different than mine and she always knows how to get me unstuck when I become too entrenched. I appreciate how we work together so well, making the awesomest team. Her passion for problem solving fills me with awe and stokes my inspiration. She has supported me when I have been at my lowest and cheered for me when I have done well. There is no one else that I want to share my life with, she is the best! Sara, thank you for everything, the day is always brighter when you are around.

Website: karlzurfluh.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/karlzurfluh/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karl-zurfl%C3%BCh-5550a717/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kzurfluh/

Image Credits
Steve Aycock https://www.steveaycockphotography.com/