As a child, Karen drew and painted continuously. At the age of 16, she was featured in her first art exhibit at the Pasadena Schools Superintendents Office. After high school she was accepted into the College of Creative Studies within the University of California at Santa Barbara. There, she studied fine art with an emphasis on figure drawing and painting. She would like to acknowledge one particular instructor/artist, Bonnie Blau whom she had the honor of studying under.

During her 3rd year in art school, she opted to take a quarter off to travel and ski. When she returned to school a few years later however, she chose to pursue a career in nursing. In 1990, she moved to Hood River, OR. with her husband and two children, there she enjoyed working as a labor and delivery RN, raising her family, sailing and gardening. She decided to rediscover her creative side and began figure drawing and took a couple of classes from Community Education. That same year when she turned 40 she gifted herself with a weeklong workshop at Menucha Art Camp. It was a magical experience and she hasn’t stopped painting since.

Initially she worked in pen and ink, charcoal and watercolor, but after an introduction to pastels from artist Marla Baggetta, they have been the medium of choice for her. “Pastels are incredibly vibrant and energizing to paint with. They are fun and messy and I feel like a child finger painting again. I’m crazy about color and enjoy pushing it and playing with perspective.”

With bold application of pastel strokes and color, Karen creates vivid representational images, enabling the viewer to experience and appreciate the landscape through her eyes. Her award winning work is exhibited in both private and public collections.

Karen was also recently featured in the October 2007 Pastel Journal Magazine.

Juried Society Membership

• Oregon Pastel Society since 2003

Affiliations

• The Frame Gallery, Hood River, OR
• Columbia Art Gallery, Hood River, OR
• The Dalles Art Center, The Dalles, OR
• Westwind Gallery, The Dalles, OR
• The Shoalwater Cove Gallery, Port of Ilwaco, WA
• Aspire Arts Gallery, Paducah, KY
  

Education

• 1977-1979 College of Creative Studies, UCSB CA Fine Arts
• Community Ed Workshops with Andrew Pate and Judith Cunningham
• Color Intensive Workshop with Kitty Wallace
• Menucha Art Camp with Marla Baggetta