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Karen’s art reveals an intelligent, humorous depth in her approach to her paintings. Their whimsicality draws appreciative smiles from viewers, such as in “Three AM at the Louvre” which depicts Venus de Milo and Mona Lisa sharing a glass of wine and chit chat about the day. In explaining her style, Karen says, “I put myself in the surrealistic category. I paint things that look real, but may not really exist. Contrast is something I do often in my paintings. I put natural objects next to man-made objects. For example, a giant ocean wave in a little teacup, or a flower sitting in a chair. I like the juxtaposition. When we see them next to each other, the naturalness of the flower and the man-made-ness of the chair are much more apparent.” To aid the viewer in recognizing the incongruity or surreality within the image, Karen often draws upon classical works, because the subjects are familiar and, as viewers, we instantly realize that the figures are not in their accustomed context--the Hokusai wave in the teacup or bathtub, for instance. As digital has taken over the world, so it has done with the art world—and not just in photography. Karen does her composing on the computer. Artists once sketched various versions of an idea, and many old masters would actually paint full studies of works before doing the final piece. The computer and programs like PhotoShop have changed that. Karen explains: “I collect pictures of the objects I plan to use from photographs I have taken or from Internet resources. In PhotoShop I arrange the composition, cutting, pasting, and resizing until I have a composition I like.” Karen paints at her studio, computer by her side, so she can zoom in to check details or test a change she is considering without expending paint and canvas on testing these revisions. A few of her paintings are on wood, but she usually prefers stretched canvas. "I like the subtle texture that the canvas offers. I paint in oils, applying fairly thin layers of paint. The technique is sometimes called glazing. I use turpenoid or liquin to thin the paint. My brushes are on the small side and I use all types, both natural and synthetic. I’m always in pursuit of the perfect brush. My color palette varies from painting to painting and I often mix colors." |