Isabelle Klauder

Isabelle Klauder is an emerging contemporary artist who was born in Burlington, Vermont. Klauder received her Associate of Arts Degree from Hillsborough Community College in Tampa, Florida and moved to Hendersonville, North Carolina in 2010, where she currently resides. Klauder attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, where she received a Bachelor of Fine Art in Figure Painting & Studio Art in 2014. 

Klauder's large-scale oil paintings on patterned fabric have been exhibited in numerous group shows across the country. Klauder's work largely explores the history of the painted female nude through the lens of the floral-female genre. Botanical motifs and floral patterns intertwine with the female figure, creating a rich visual tapestry that celebrates the human form and speaks to the complex relationships between nature and femininity. 

Klauder’s use of patterned fabrics allows for the painted figures to exist above and below the textile design, creating a visual space that transcends time and embraces the garden-as-refuge. Klauder’s work draws attention to the often overlooked role of textiles in women’s work. Using sewing and hand-stitching, Klauder’s work extends beyond the surface of the work; paintings are sometimes accompanied by idioms and words of wisdom that make for suggestive narratives and take the form of sewn fabric letters. 

Isabelle Klauder is an artist that has created a layered and complex visual language that challenges traditional representations of femininity and sexuality. Her paintings are uniquely bold and intellectually engaging, offering a fresh and thought-provoking perspective on contemporary figure painting and the human experience.

ARTIST STATEMENT 

Isabelle Klauder is a contemporary artist based in Hendersonville, North Carolina. Her large scale oil paintings on patterned fabrics explore the history of the female nude through the lens of the floral-female genre. Her current body of work “Fabricating Thresholds” utilizes patterned fabrics and textiles as canvas, weaving together themes of women’s domestic spaces, escapism, sexuality, and the garden-as-refuge. 

In Klauder’s paintings, botanical motifs and floral patterns intertwine with the female figure, creating a rich visual tapestry that celebrates the human form and speaks to the complex relationships between nature and femininity. Drawing inspiration from artists such as Mary Cassat, Eugene Von Bruchenhein, Eric Fischl, as well as the Pattern & Decoration Movement, her paintings challenge traditional representations of the female form, inviting viewers to consider the ways in which societal norms and cultural expectations have shaped our understanding of femininity and sexuality. 

Klauder’s work draws attention to the often overlooked role of textiles in women’s work. Textiles have been intimately tied to women’s work, creativity and economic independence. From embroidery to quilting, textiles have provided women with a medium for record keeping and self-expression as a way to connect across time and space. Klauder’s use of sewing and hand-stitching extends beyond the surface of the work; paintings are sometimes accompanied by idioms and words of wisdom that make for suggestive titles and take the form of sewn fabric letters. The fabricated idioms create a sense of timelessness and invites viewers to contemplate the ways in which we move in and out of different stages of life and the ways in which we are shaped by our experiences. 

Klauder’s work offers a unique perspective and asks thought-provoking questions about how we perceive time and what it means to pass in and out of life. She’s created a visual language that speaks to our shared humanity and serves as a reminder that there is always beauty to be found in even the most challenging moments of life.