Bio:

Karen is a mixed media artist living and working in Santa Monica, CA. She likes to use a variety of materials in her work, or at least have the option to. This is because she is a very tactile person and is drawn to how things feel and how they transform as they are pasted down. She likes sawing wood and gluing and mixing paints, creating patterns, and drawing in precise detail.

A bit about my process:

I almost never start out with a specific idea for a new piece. It will usually only be a fragment of inspiration...a scrap of paper that looks interesting, a shape that catches my eye, a pattern that I want to create. As I start to play with the surface, the art starts to form and speak in its own voice. My job is to listen and help it become what it wants to be.

A bit about my background:

I have always loved creating things and showed signs of this at a young age. My favorite place to visit as a kid was our local hobby shop, where I would always find a myriad of fascinating arts and crafts. The photo to the right is me at age seven, standing below my school artwork that was chosen for a show at our local library. When it came time for college, I chose a more "practical" path and majored in social work. I worked in this field for several years until there were too many creative stirrings in me to ignore. After several jobs in a variety of settings, including an interior design store, a decorative painting company, and a greeting card studio, I realized in my heart that I am much more of a fine artist than a commercial one. And I've been happily making art ever since.