Karen was encouraged and inspired by her aunt who was a sculptor and as a young girl began taking drawing classes, which she continued attending through college. A few years ago she made the transition from drawing into oil painting. Residing in Northern California since 1992, she enjoys the sights and sounds of the ocean, the coastal blue mountains and the colorful blooms of spring from which she draws inspiration for her organically flowing oil paintings.

"Motion, movement and change are part of our everyday lives. The influence of this concept can be found in the motion and flow of my paintings. The shapes in my work are derived from forms in our natural surroundings. Once the shapes are sketched on the canvas I like to paint spontaneously until it resonates within. In using this approach the painting is found through intuitive feeling and does not aim to reproduce the external form in a material sense, but strives to convey the internal."