When Irene Klar was a kid, her mom used to drag her to museums.
鈥淚 knew something had changed, probably by the time I was 12, and I noticed I took much longer in the museum than she did,鈥 Klar says. 鈥淲hen I was little, it seemed like she stayed forever. And at a certain point, she was the one telling me to hurry up.鈥
Klar has now been a professional artist for more than 40 years, focusing on watercolors and etchings.
鈥淚 do etchings to make sure I鈥檓 constantly frustrated and to stay really humble,鈥 Klar laughs. 鈥淚 find watercolors to be more forgiving, so watercolors and I have a better understanding.鈥
A late friend of Klar鈥檚 once told her to 鈥渘ever be afraid of the struggle.鈥
鈥淚 would say it鈥檚 too hard sometimes and that other people have such ease with their medium,鈥 Klar says. 鈥淎nd he said, 鈥楶eople like to see the struggle. They don鈥檛 like it to look easy.鈥欌
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Though Klar has been interested in art since she was very young, she went to college for physical therapy and science.
鈥淎fter working in hospitals for three years, my husband asked why I was doing this when I really wanted to be in art,鈥 Klar says.
With encouragement from her husband, Klar went back to school to receive her degree in fine arts.
鈥淪ince then 鈥 since 1977 鈥 I鈥檝e always been a painter,鈥 she says, adding that she started etchings about 20 years later and also taught watercolor at the University of Alberta in Canada for at least a decade.
Much of Klar鈥檚 artwork is inspired by places she鈥檚 traveled to and cultures she鈥檚 seen along the way.
鈥淚t doesn鈥檛 really matter where I travel,鈥 she says. 鈥淚 get inspired by the same things. It鈥檚 human invention and creativity that keep me going.鈥
鈥淎rt is visual and it鈥檚 very hard to make sure that the person you鈥檙e talking to sees what it is you鈥檙e trying to describe,鈥 she says. 鈥淏ut I am, and have always been, interested in different cultures and patterns and color. And I鈥檓 amazed at the variety of patterns that people can create and I鈥檓 always equally amazed at how you can see similarities around the world.
鈥淚t鈥檚 wonderful to just be able to observe other people鈥檚 worlds and to be somewhere different where you鈥檙e not necessarily in control and where you have to be open to new experiences.鈥
When Klar visits art galleries, she says she looks for 鈥渢he sense of awe.鈥
鈥淚f somebody gets that sense from something I鈥檝e done, it鈥檚 sort of the greatest compliment.鈥