I live, paint & play in beautiful Edmonton, Alberta. I have a deep appreciation for the landscape. The Rocky Mountains, ravines, forests, trees & lakes inspire me to paint original, joyful paintings layered with vibrant colour and lively brushstrokes.
Every painting tells a story, holds a memory and creates connections.
The perfect medium for my impatience is acrylic. Its fast drying nature allows me to paint spontaneously and quickly. I begin intuitively, with layers of glazes—building up rich, translucent colour. Dripping and lifting colour and scratching or using tools to create interesting marks is part of this underpainting too. Sometimes I’ll add papers, fabric, or use stencils to enhance pattern and add texture. Then it’s a push and pull of opaques and glazes to find the subject. I delight in negative painting and usually paint my background last. I want the viewer to see hints of my first layers and explore up close passages that look abstract.
​​​
BRING THE OUTSIDE IN
I paint the things that I find beautiful and interesting. Often those things are overlooked because they seem ordinary. I'm always looking up -- watching clouds move and morph or marvelling at the sunlight pass through a thick canopy of trees.
If your plan is to bring some joyful, original art into your life and home, I'd love to make that plan happen.
​
​
​
​
"My daughter and I have both purchased paintings from Karen and we absolutely are in love with them. They bring indescribable joy and happiness, we love the bold colours and they take us to places that are familiar and wanting. Always looking to see what is on the easel next." Evelyn Faulkner Edmonton Alberta
"My favorites are Karen’s ravine and mountain paintings. I love the way the trees seem to envelop me right into the painting and the mountains evoke a sense of wonder and peace in me. It’s like I visit those places through the paintings." Teena Maclure Edmonton Alberta
COMMISSIONS
FOR 2024
​
My book is now open for commissions in March 2024. I just finished this one of Slave Lake, Alberta. I'd love to immortalize your happy place.
​
Contact me and we can have a zoom call to chat about the process.
I'm a proud member of the Federation of Canadian Artists which was started by 3 of the Group of Seven artists!
​
Their beautiful gallery is on Granville Island in Vancouver, BC. You can find me online & often in their gallery.
​
And I sit on the board of our local Edmonton Chapter as the exhibition chair.
​
​