Artist Bio

“Art has always been a part of my life,” Farooq Karim says. “It is woven so completely into my memories that I cannot remember a time without this expression of color and imagination. I started making individual paper flowers during a time of personal darkness. It became a coping mechanism as I took what seemed to be useless pieces of paper and made them into an object with shape, beauty, and meaning.

“The biggest inspiration of my art and my life is Blossom, my dear wife. She is my dreaming partner, my encourager, my rock, and my soulmate. Every piece of art I create has ‘Blossom’ as part of its name.

“My other inspiration is stories of people, and each piece has a story. These stories are about friendships, both new and old, and they are about joyfulness. I believe these stories are a positive touchpoint. This is how I want to see the world, and this is how I want people to see my art.”

Piece Description

“I spent longer contemplating and creating this piece than any other I have created, and it is very different from any other piece. The individual flowers are created by deconstructing two-dimensional images of Japanese family crests and reassembling them into something new and three-dimensional, something new and better. The frame is made of cardboard, which is a material we often take for granted. Cardboard is often discounted, underappreciated, used, and then immediately discarded. However, when crafted and finished the right way, cardboard can be strong, resilient, and beautiful.

“My first goal with this piece was to create something worthy of my friend Thomas Hill’s vision for this collection as well as the first 39 beautiful pieces which had been created before mine.

“Second, I wanted to tell the story of the AAA valve, the pieces of which come from different suppliers, often in cardboard boxes, often resting on sheets of cardboard as the various parts and components go through the manufacturing and assembly process, and finally end up packaged in a cardboard box.

“Finally, and most importantly I wanted to tell the story of the people who make up Kimray and make the valves each and every day which in turn allows Kimray and its employees to go out into the community and Make A Difference.”