As a multidisciplinary artist, is there a medium you haven’t yet explored but would love to create with?

Kara answers with certainty as if having already asked herself the same question. ‘Oil painting’ she said waving her arm skyward towards two oil-packed canvases belonging to Elliot.

The slow, textural qualities that accompany oil painting juxtapose Karas's usual free-flowing style. Self-proclaimed as experimental and messy, she embraces the unscripted bleeds and blooms of watercolour. Yet, the irresistible allure of the oil’s jewelled tones and rich pigmentation presents a challenge that Kara finds worth championing. 

Ceramics is another medium on her artistic radar, though not entirely unexplored. She led me to a glass cabinet displaying two tobacco-stained pots and a pair of satirical cowboy boots, adorned with earthy tones and provocative pictographs. 

You mentioned drawing much of your inspiration from Western movies, 70’s porn, and pin-up culture. Could you share some specific works that have helped shape your creative fingerprint? 

With adolescence came exposure to less conventional art forms. Director Harmony Korine, iconised for his transgressive aesthetic and love of taboo, stood out as a major influence. Inspired by his wayward approach to cinematography, Kara used the character Bunny Boy from Korine's directional debut Gummo as the muse behind her first-ever piece and continues to infuse her work with similar hues of hypnotic restlessness. 

Dream collaboration?

The inherent opulence radiating throughout Karas's work has already captured the attention of major fashion houses and interior designers. Aspiring to elevate her craft to high-end circles, Kara seeks to redefine her relationships with legendary fashion houses, becoming an integral component of their designs rather than just an observer. 

How do you self-medicate creative blocks?

Living up to her Piscean nature, Kara can often find it difficult to balance her elaborate inner monologue with reality. Conscious of these heady repercussions and their potential to impact her work she uses physical embodiment practices such as yoga and meditation to nurture her mind-body connection. 

‘Seeing a difference in my work on days that I’m ready to paint and those I am forced to is sobering, it prompts me to prioritise self-care and do what is necessary to feed my creative soul’. 

What are your views on the healing potential of flow state? Do you believe that it is a human birth right to create? 

‘Painting propels me into a state of deep meditation, the playful nature of watercolour has taught me a lot about releasing resistance and going with the flow’. 

The unavoidable objectification of the modelling industry left Kara emotionally vulnerable and creatively starved. Called to action by the looming insecurities of lockdown she enrolled in a tufting course and has been creating ever since. 

Quintessential Ibiza day out, what do you do?

If not cove hopping the rugged coastline that mirrors Es Vedra, Kara is cruising the serpentine roads of Ibiza’s mainland in her rented VW Beetle, iconically paying homage to the island’s rich tapestry of hippy counterculture. Formentera, still uncharted territory, lies next on her list of conquests.  

Art is inherently political and a significant vehicle for social change, what conversations are you hoping to spark through your art?

An integral element of Kara’s work is the curvature lines of the female form. 

Draped in inherent sensuality her mission is to disempower the systemic objectivation of a woman’s body and to further promote body confidence.

It is hard to believe Kara’s still in her artistic infancy, her uncensored approach and pursuit of textural exploration evokes immeasurable intrigue. The Avant Garde rabbit she willingly dived down provides infinite and unwavering potentials. In-Between Ibiza is honoured to exhibit Kara Marshal and looks forward to what will hopefully be the start of a long-standing collaboration.

Interview by Lizzy killloran (lizzykilloran@live.co.uk)

All pictures in this article were taken by Kara and her family while visiting the island for her exhibition