Karen moved to the San Francisco Bay Area from Atlanta, Georgia in 1989. She was immediately struck the by the natural beauty that enveloped her and was inspired to move back into drawing and painting from the world of photography. She states: “I feel very privileged to have the opportunity to live in California surrounded by the magnificent landscape with its endless variety. Painting allows me to closely examine nature and I now notice everyday things that otherwise would have passed me by. Time slows down when you paint or sketch. It’s magical.”

She works in both the oil and pastel mediums and believes that one enhances the other. She has studied at the Academy of Art Graduate Program in San Francisco, College of San Mateo and in individual workshops with Huihan Liu, Kim English, Albert Handell, Clayton Beck and Robert Johnson.

Karen enjoys traveling to paint in France and Italy. Her work is in galleries in California and New York as well as private collections across the U.S. and Italy. In addition, she has received numerous awards in various juried events, plein air competitions and exhibits.