INSECTICIDE AN ART EXHIBITION May 15 thru June 22, 2010

ARTIST STATEMENT

Nature’s infinite array of beautiful forms and patterns are my muse.  It’s feast for the eyes is an invitation to dwell on the surface but ultimately a distraction for deeper themes such as; life, death, cycles, and rebirth. These ideas are the underpinning of my work.
Insects have amazing structure; delicate and yet very strong and utilitarian. They are essential creatures to our survival but often reviled or even dismissed. I celebrate their brief life spans in this series about time entitled “bugs in time”. ” I blend images of insects with materials related to moments in time: postcards, letters, math equations and pages from books and frames reclaimed from fire. All materials pass away but insects as a species will endure.

When working with Lucite, I use a Dremel tool like a pencil, engraving into the surface, creating grooves that capture pigment and reveal the markings. Working both sides enables me to layer the images which creates depth and movement where a story can unfold. The transparent nature of the Lucire interacts with light, deepening the colors, lines and patterns, and tissue paper, which I apply to the surface.

BIO

Karen was born and raised in Southern California. Out of high school she attended UCLA as a French major. It was there she discovered Gustav Klimt, Egon Schiele, William Morris and Alponse Mucha and the dormant artist was awakened.

Unable to change her major from French to Art, she left UCLA and pursued an independent study program at El Camino College. She conducted life drawing sessions in her apartment and surrounded herself with art by working as a framer and in a local art gallery. As a framer she was introduce to many types of decorative papers and they began to make their way into her paintings. Soon the papers took over completely as she developed a highly specialize form of collage she calls “Paper Mosaics”.

She then began working with interior designers installing “Paper Mosaic” murals in small interior spaces and eventually gaining representation at the Pacific Design Center with the Bradbury Collection.  This led to The House Beautiful Celebrity Design House in 2003 and the Hancock Design House in 2004 all having “Paper Mosaic” installations on their walls.

Her Media experience includes a regular guest spot on the educational cable show “Art 100” with Bernard Baker, Professor of Art at Dominguez Hills University from 1998-1999. In 2008, her artwork has been seen on TV in “Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew” and in “Flip that House”. Her work is currently on display at Cisco Home, a sustainable furniture showroom in Pasadena California.

All the while Karen has been actively involved in several non profit art groups such as; Site, SCWCA, where she was the Co- Exhibition Committee Chair, and is an active member of the Los Angeles Art Association.