Karolina Born-Tschümperlin was born in Lucerne, Switzerland, and moved to Canada in 1995. She studied at the University of Cambridge and at l’Université Paris-Sorbonne, and holds a degree in modern foreign languages from the Translator School “Dolba” in Basel. With her husband, Doug, and her dog, Otis, she owns a small lavender farm in Naramata, BC. In her spare time, she paints and plays various instruments with her band, Slapdog Four plus Joe. Her paintings and images beautifully illustrate Okanagan Slow Road.
Karolina’s creative spirit sparkles through her colourful canvases reflecting her love of life and of the “bucolic” Okanagan Valley. On her love affair with lavender she muses, “I have many favourite things about lavender. Apart from the fact that it uses very little water, which makes it perfect for our semi-arid valley, it feeds the bees, attracts the butterflies and other useful insects. It smells fantastic and can be used for a variety of products, starting in one’s bathroom all the way into the kitchen. It puts a smile on most people’s faces and I never get tired of watching visitors light right up, when they step on our property. I have been doing this for a number of years now and always think that I have the scent down pat in my inner nose. And then, surprise, spring arrives, the first plants are coming into bloom, and I stick my winter-stale breather into the first freshly cut lavender bouquet, and the sweetness and complexity of the scent knocks my socks off again and again.” Read more about the Lavender Farm on page 24.
Creating the art for the book was an adventure for Karolina as it was a departure of style for her. “Generally, I like to paint animals on large canvasses. Domestic and wild ones, preferably in a semi-cartoonish way with expressionistic colours that make you really notice them, their personalities.” She says. “For Okanagan Slow Road however, I was given another task. Landscapes, still life and some buildings. I had never painted buildings…My favourite painting in this book is “View over Okanagan Lake from the KVR”. It is adapted from a photo that I took on one glorious fall walk up there: Me, Otis and the endless freedom I feel at the end of another successful lavender season behind us!”
Visit Karolina at the Farm or online at: www.karolinaborn.com