As I posted earlier this week, last Friday night I visited the the very-talented Karyn Kloumann’s “Urban Sketchbook” gallery opening. A Brooklyn Heights resident, Karyn is the creative force behind A New York Eye, and creates whimsical sketches and beautiful watercolors of those she encounters on the subways and streets of New York City.

When I began talking with her about the process she’s pursued to open a pop-up gallery in collaboration with the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership, I quickly realized that I needed to feature an interview with her here — to feature her beautiful work, and to also provide a behind-the-scenes glimpse of how artists can apply for gallery space of their own. Karyn graciously agreed to share her thoughts about the experience, and answer my questions below. (Thanks, Karyn!)

For more of her beautiful work, head on over to her website here, check out her Tumblr account of the pop-up gallery, or head over to 40 Hoyt!

For the Love of Brooklyn: Hi, Karyn! So excited to have you on For the Love of Brooklyn and I’m totally impressed by your latest project, a pop-up gallery in downtown Brooklyn at 40 Hoyt. You’ve been documenting the whirlwind process on your Tumblr, but could you give us an overview of how you got hooked up with this awesome space? How long will your pop-up gallery last?

Karyn Kloumann: Hey Jill! Thank you so much for inviting me onto your blog, and taking such beautiful pictures of the show! I first learned about The Downtown Brooklyn Partnership, when I saw my friend Jane Huntington’s photography show. DBP has an arts initiative called “Your Art Here”, which matches up artists with empty commercial spaces for temporary art shows. It’s a fantastic program, because it benefits the landlord to have a culturally vibrant space, and it benefits the artists who would otherwise not be able to afford rent on a street level space with windows and lots of foot traffic. And — the gallery will be open through September 26th!

FTLOB: Once you were awarded your space, how did you progress with your vision for the gallery and the selection and format of your featured pieces?
KK: My work is inspired by people I see on the subway and around town. I do a rough scribble of a sketch in a small notebook on the spot, and then transform the rough sketch into a more refined watercolor at home. Then I add a separate window with an eccentrically calligraphied, tenderly humorous caption about the subject. In the context of a gallery space, the challenge I face is the big picture view: since all of the pieces are identically matted and framed in monochrome white, I didn’t want it to look bland from the outset. So I decided to mix up colors and scale a bit. I started by matting and framing a fifth of the pieces in red, to disperse among the white-framed pieces. Then I envisioned a rough sketch flutter wall, which would also help me explain my artistic process: I took leaves from my actual sketchbook and loosely pinned them to a tiny corner wall which was covered in red felt. And finally, I had the opportunity to experiment with scale by blowing up a couple of 10″ watercolors into a 40″ archival giclée prints for the front window.

FTLOB: Did any elements change from your original conception?
KK: Terrifyingly, there was no room for dithering or deviation, since the time to put it all together was so limited! And most fortunately, although there were some stressful chats with various vendors, all of those aspects came together on time, so I wasn’t forced to improvise.

FTLOB: What was the most challenging aspect of the process?
KK: Envisioning the composition and renovation of the space was enjoyable, organic, and easy; the difficult part was manifesting the physical reality! The space had been formerly used as a storeroom for the restaurant next door, so it wasn’t in pristine shape. After a massive scrub down, I tented the walls in muslin (very apropos for a pop-up gallery!) and put down some temporary flooring — large gray interlocking exercise mat tiles were relatively inexpensive from a big box store, very easy to work with, and really gave the space a more polished look. The challenging part would be coming home around 9pm after cleaning and working on the space and beginning the framing of all the artworks — the target was 6 per night, so not fun to do fussy precise work after standing on a ladder, painting the ceiling for two hours. My best friend and spouse, Luke, was a true partner and toiled alongside me the whole time, uncomplaining. It simply would not have been possible for me to have done it in that amount of time without him, so I am truly grateful that he prioritized helping me!

FTLOB: Over the past year, you’ve tackled other projects like your gorgeous 2010 calendar and landing a literary agent. (Congrats!) Your work depicts the whimsical and the unexpected — the everyday stories of uber-interesting New Yorkers. Though I imagine there’s no shortage of subject matter for you, what’s next after the gallery? Any new projects on the horizon?
KK: I’m definitely planning a 2011 calendar, with all profits to be invested at kiva.org (and re-invested into perpetuity as the initial loans are paid back), putting together Volume 2, Urban Sketchbook at 40 Hoyt; which will catalog what is in the show; and also preparing for a group show on Cape Cod (my hometown area, yeah!) at the Studio on Slough Road in Brewster, Massachusetts in November. In a different direction, I’m also working on writing and illustrating an alphabet book of unusual animals for kids.

FTLOB: And finally, I’ve gotta ask: you do such a lovely job of illustrating the eccentric scenes you see on the subway, but what’s the CRAZIEST scene you’ve ever witnessed?
KK: That would definitely be the young, hot, super-buff couple on the A-train, in July, 2006. They brought a wailing infant in a car seat onto the train and began fighting viciously. They were like dinosaurs; kind of magnificent, but frightening — suddenly the man threw the woman over his head flat onto her back with a huge cracking sound and everyone just FLED off that subway car, wanting absolutely no part of this domestic distress. It is really interesting how the density of New York City compels people to do private things in public; and mostly, other people ignore it even if it’s as blatant as clipping toenails on the train.

Thanks so much to Karyn for the interview, and be sure to let us know if you’re planning a gallery space of your own!!