about.

Karen is an Alberta based artist who specializes in capturing the scenery of the prairies and mountains with either oil (plein air) or acrylics. Graphite drawings, being her first medium, still find their way into her portfolio with renderings of animals and people. Saskatchewan is home to Karen. She was born in Maple Creek in 1963 and spent her school years in Swift Current when her parents opened Henry’s Bakery. The influence of having entrepreneur parents surfaced when Karen began selling hand-drawn bookmarkers to her classmates at the age of 9. It was at this young age that Karen realized that drawing came easy for her and it became her passion. At age 16 she held her first art show and sale.

 

After the completion of the 1st year in Fine Arts at the University of Calgary, Karen attended a specialized school for photo retouching. At 21 while developing her painting skills she started her own business freelancing for photographers throughout Saskatchewan. The art of retouching required her to develop accuracy of identifying precise colors within a subject.

 

Relocating to British Columbia, both the interior and Vancouver Island, increased her inspiration for her paintings which were now hanging in prestigious galleries in Saskatoon, Chemainus, Salts Spring Island, Parksville, and Qualicum. After 3 years on the Island Karen moved back to her previous home in Cranbrook, BC where she accepted a few proposals of murals for businesses. One was life-size environmental learning murals for the College of the Rockies featuring animals of the area. This led her to a contract with the Kimberley Early Years Center that required her to design a theme for the Center supported by art projects including 4 educational murals.

  

Karen has received valuable instruction from prominent artists, personally and in workshops. Continuous learning from numerous sources aided in developing a solid classical art foundation on which she creates her work. She has shown in numerous solo, group, and juried exhibitions and has achieved many awards. Karen has been invited to jury an art show and instructs workshops.

 

Presently Karen is teaching beginner art classes and working with seniors to get people involved in art. She believes in encouraging people to create by providing knowledge in materials and drawing skills regardless of their ability. Enduring serious health issues for 10 years ending with a liver transplant in 2015, Karen attests that creating art helped her maintain a positive outlook during her ordeal and now wants to share this healing tool with others.

 

Her work can be seen at Broken Spoke in Maple Creek.                                                     

                                     

“The act of creating is therapeutic regardless of the outcome”