K Silve

Printemps 2026 — Nouveaux travaux

KAREN SILVE

I’m happy to share my newest works from 2026 with you. These works will be featured in New Art Project Magazine later this month. I’ll send photos along once the magazine is out.

Plus, I’m very excited to share with you my that my work is in the prestegious collection of Michelle Hevrdejs and included in new book: Abstract Expressionist Women (and a Few Men): The Michelle Hevrdejs Collection. Foreword by Hollis Taggart and written by Greta Zorn. See below.

Je suis heureuse de partager avec vous mes toutes nouvelles œuvres de 2026. Ces œuvres seront présentées dans New Art Project Magazine plus tard ce mois-ci. Je vous enverrai des photos dès la sortie du magazine.

De plus, je suis très heureuse de vous annoncer que mon travail fait désormais partie de la prestigieuse collection de Michelle Hevrdejs et qu’il est inclus dans le nouveau livre Abstract Expressionist Women (and a Few Men): The Michelle Hevrdejs Collection, avec une préface de Hollis Taggart et des textes de Greta Zorn. Voir ci-dessous.

AbstracT Expressionist Women (and a few men) The Michelle Hervdejs Collection

I am truly honored to be included in this prestigious collection of women abstract expressionist painters, spanning from the inception of the movement to contemporary artists today.

Je suis profondément honorée de faire partie de cette prestigieuse collection de femmes peintres expressionnistes abstraites, couvrant l’histoire du mouvement depuis ses origines jusqu’aux artistes contemporaines d’aujourd’hui.

Many thanks to Michelle (and Frank) Hevrdejs for collecting several of my paintings since 2015. Michelle has just published a book of her collection: Abstract Expressionist Women (and a Few Men): The Michelle Hevrdejs Collection. Foreword by Hollis Taggart and written by Greta Zorn.

Here’s a synopsis from the book jacket: Michelle Hevrdejs has been involved in fine art for the past twenty years, and has developed over the last decade a particular interest in Abstract Expressionist works by marginalized artists. Her collection includes works by Abstract Expressions mainstays like Elaine de Kooning, Mary Abbott, and Perle Fine, as well as new works by contemporary artists such as Deborah Dancy, Pooja Pittie, and Jayne Quick-to-see Smith. This book explores the intersections of gender, race, and nationality in the Abstract Expressionist movement through Michelle Hevrdejs’ stunning collection of over seventy paintings. 

This painting, Lost, was sold by Calloway Fine Art & Consulting.

Un grand merci à Michelle (et Frank) Hevrdejs de collectionner plusieurs de mes peintures depuis 2015. Michelle vient de publier un livre consacré à sa collection : Abstract Expressionist Women (and a Few Men): The Michelle Hevrdejs Collection, avec une préface de Hollis Taggart et des textes de Greta Zorn.

Voici un extrait du résumé figurant sur la jaquette du livre : Michelle Hevrdejs est active dans le domaine des beaux-arts depuis plus de vingt ans et a développé, au cours de la dernière décennie, un intérêt particulier pour les œuvres expressionnistes abstraites d’artistes marginalisés. Sa collection comprend des œuvres de figures majeures de l’expressionnisme abstrait telles qu’Elaine de Kooning, Mary Abbott et Perle Fine, ainsi que des œuvres récentes d’artistes contemporains comme Deborah Dancy, Pooja Pittie et Jaune Quick-to-See Smith. Ce livre explore les intersections du genre, de la race et de la nationalité au sein du mouvement expressionniste abstrait à travers l’impressionnante collection de plus de soixante-dix peintures de Michelle Hevrdejs.

Cette peinture, Lost, a été vendue par Calloway Fine Art & Consulting.

Thanks for reading. Please feel free to share.

Very warmly,  Karen Silve

Tuesday’s Drive, 60 x 80 in.

I’m excited to share these special works from my travels, walks and hikes around Provence, to other artists' inspirational works. Some of these paintings will be on exhibition later this month in France.

The above painting, Passageway (180x150 cm, 71x59 in), was inspired by navigating through rocky pathways and contemplating on Pierre Bonnard's influence of Japanese art. During this time I had seen the Bonnard et le Japon exhibition at Caumont Centre D'Art in Aix-en-Provence. this is a short instagram clip above.

The above painting, Weaving Through (180x150 cm, 71x59 in), was inspired by revisiting Point Sublime in the Gorge du Verdon. Point Sublime was where I ended a transformative hike last year. I approached this painting with Wanderer above the Sea of Fog in mind; a painting by the German Romanticist artist, Caspar David Friedrich, in 1818. His painting has been interpreted as an emblem of self-reflection or contemplation of life's path, and the landscape is considered to evoke the sublime. This inspired Weaving Through.

The Washout (170x200 cm, 68x78 in) was inspired after taking a walk this spring through fields of flowers and crops in the farmland of Provence. Off of the cliff was a river that had washed out the bank of an apple orchard. It seems strange to have these two ideas of flourishing and destruction right next to one another. One can’t live without the other. Rejuvenation is a common theme in my work.

Thanks for reading and feel free to share!  Email me for more information about these works or anything else.

Warmly, Karen Silve

Also, if you are in Venice…

On View Now in Venice

through November 2024

Palazo Mora - Strada Nova, 3659, 30121 Venezia VE, Italy

          As we enter the spring season, I am filled with gratitude for your continued support and enthusiasm for my art. Exploring the world as a painter is truly an incredible journey and one that has led me to embark on a new chapter filled with inspiration and adventure.

I'm excited to share with you that I have embarked on an artistic pilgrimage to France for nine months! France and Europe have long captivated my inspiration, ever since I went to art school here as a young student. Now I have the opportunity to immerse myself fully in their rich cultural tapestry. I arrived in February and soon after went to Venice for the installation of my work for the biennial exhibition "Personal Structures".

Behind the scenes in Venice !

I am overjoyed to have been selected to be featured in “Personal Structures - Beyond Boundaries”, the European Cultural Center’s 7th edition of the Biennial Contemporary Art Exhibition in Venice. This coincides with the prestigious 2024 Venice Biennale. The show officially opens next month and will run until November. This is an extraordinary honor and a dream come true for any artist. I cannot express how humbled and grateful I am for this opportunity to showcase my work to a global audience. 

See my "Sneak Peek" blog here of arriving in Venice and the installation. It's been such a lovely whirlwind!

I am truly excited to share this journey with all of you. As the exhibition draws nearer, I will keep you updated on the details and behind-the-scenes insights into the creation of my featured painting. Your support and encouragement mean the world to me, and I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to share my passion for art with such an amazing community.

Very Warmly, Karen

PERSONAL STRUCTURES — BEYOND BOUNDARIES VENICE 2024

APRIL 20TH - NOVEMBER 24TH, 2024

— PALAZZO MORA STRADA NOVA, 3659 - VENICE ITALY

Follow me on Instagram to see more behind the scenes reels. And forward if you know of someone that my be interested in receiving my email.

I'm excited to share with you these two new paintings inspired by my travels in Italy and France. They are on their way to the Madison Gallery in California. I've also included a commissioned artwork I finished at the end of last year for a Miami client. Plus, my solo exhibition at the Calloway Fine Art & Consulting Gallery in Georgetown going on right now!

MADISON GALLERY 320 South Cedros Avenue, Suite 200 Solana Beach, CA 92075 +1 (858) 523-9155 www.madisongalleires.com

MIAMI COMMISSION

This is a recent commission for a Miami client. I was very pleased with it, and loved the image the designer sent after the work was framed and installed.

THE SEA & SHORE

My solo exhibition, The Sea & Shore, is on view at the Calloway Fine Art & Consulting gallery in Georgetown, Washington DC. Many thanks to Susan and the gallery for a lovely opening reception last week. It was lovely to re-connect with the gallery and my followers. It's on view through June 3rd, 2023. 

Calloway Fine Art & Consulting 1643 Wisconsin Ave NW | Washington DC 20007 +1 (202) 965-4601 www.callowayart.com

Thanks for reading, and please feel free to share.

Sending Peace on this long winter’s night

Embrace this long winter night. May your joy grow as steadily as the light that returns. Wishing you a happy and healthy 2023! 

After visiting Venice this Spring, I returned to my studio in France and painted these five paintings.

I had never been to Venice, but always wanted to go one day. The day came this year, thanks to the European Cultural Council for contacting me about a possible exhibition opportunity in 2024. I decided to go and check out the ECC and the Biennale that opened in April and continues through November of this year.

Even though this blog is about my artwork I created after visiting Venice, I want to acknowledge the Venice Biennale and Personal Structures because it was a significant part of my visit. I viewed artwork for over 5 days and loved every moment of it! There are too many artists to note, but I want to mention Paula Rego. She died a few days after I saw her work at the Biennale. I was so happy to see this strong female artist’s work and her contribution to woman artists over the decades.

You can see more about the Biennale Arte 2022: The Milk of Dreams here and Personal Structures here.

Arriving in Venice

I was a bit intimidated since I had never been to Venice. The instructions to get to my hotel were to take Water-line 1 to a certain stop, then walk over many bridges to my final destination. Wandering through the streets, I found my way to my hotel and was already in love with the city. Thankfully, I stayed in the north part of the city. It was relatively quiet and gave me a sense of “home” for 5 nights.

I loved taking the boats on the waterways. In fact, more than once I decided to pass my stop and take the boat as far as I could, then take another one back. The light was beautiful when the sun was setting. The orange and yellow buildings faded into the water.

Many Reflections

Reflections on the water were inspiring as the world seemed to be upside down. The water met the sky; the sky the water. Rusty pinks were at the horizon, both in the air and on the water.

The sky is abstract: something you can’t walk on, nor is it containable. The water is containable if you gathered it, but has abstract similarities. You can’t walk on it. There are many unknowns below the surface. It is vast with no boundaries. Above the surface we mostly see reflections rather than the structures or organisms below the surface. The buildings are the only constructions that we comprehend because they are manmade. However, they appeared to be floating on the surface of the water.

constant movement

You can’t walk through the city without the feeling of constant movement shifting up and down. A city built on water makes one think the foundation can’t be structurally sound. It’s magical that the city is still standing many centuries after it was built.

In the above painting, I decided to suspend colors floating in white space to express the sense of the movement when one is walking through the city.

Peggy Guigenheim

an inspiration

The first day I arrived in Venice, I took a walking tour. Statues and buildings were pointed out as well as the history of how the city was built. That same day, I took a water taxi and passed Peggy Guggenheim’s home, which is now a museum. This devoted art collector and influencer led the way for the marriage of European and American artists and played a huge role for the birth of abstract expressionism as we know it today.

I feel like there should be a statue of Peggy Guggenheim due to all of her contributions. With the color of her home similar to the colors of many statues, I viewed the whole museum as her statue.

In the above painting I thought a lot about how we learn from the past and the people who inspire us. The statue part on one side of this painting gave a wealth of life with colors and movement to the other side of the painting. The counterparts become dependent on one another.

My France Studio

I enjoyed working in my studio this summer. We did have record high heat, but I was happy to be inside where I could work. I also took three trips while I was in France including Venice and the Piedmont region, Nice and Cinque Terre, and lastly the Minervois region.

What’s next

I am currently working on a 10 foot commission in my Portland studio. Plus I am working on a solo exhibition that will be at Calloway Fine Art & Consulting in Washington DC this coming spring. More paintings from my travels this summer will be a part of the solo exhibition. You can follow me on instagram or facebook to see regular updates. And if you are not already on my mailing list, please sign up here.

Thanks for reading!

Very warmly, Karen Silve

The Atrium of the “Salamanca”, Brittany Ferries latest eco-friendly ship connecting the UK to Spain, showcases two of my large paintings.

I am very honored to have my artwork in this incredible Ferry! Brittany Ferries latest ship, Salamanca, promises a smooth and quiet voyage with lower emissions being their first to use LNG (liquefied natural gas). The Ferry goes from Portsmouth UK to Bilbao Spain. On the interior, the design team wanted to embody the sights, sounds and tastes of the region she will serve giving passengers an experience of their destination from the moment they step on board. From delicious food and comfortable cabins, to fine art. I’m honored they chose my large paintings to be featured in the main atrium which embodies the spirit of the city of Salamanca, and Spain in general. My smaller works are also featured in the Portside Forward Lounge. I am thrilled!

Catherine Querné, Brittany Ferries’ strategy director who was responsible for overseeing the entire project explains “Our ultimate goal is to provide the very best experience on board,” she said. “The beauty of travel by sea is that your holiday starts as soon as you step on board.  Our priority is to surround the passenger with authenticity, relaxation and wellbeing. The journey aboard Salamanca will inspire them ahead of their visit to this wonderful destination.”

Catherine Querné’s interior team included Swedish architect/interior designer Richard Nilsson, and artistic advisor Kimberly Poppe.

The Ship’s Atrium Bar

The ship's main bar, Plaza Mayor, echoes the ambience of Salamanca’s vibrant city square - one of the most famous squares in Spain

Along with my large paintings in the sunlit atrium are photographs by Kimberly Poppe and displays by Noémi Biró about Salamanca vibrant and historic city

"Salamanca is a gorgeous city," Poppe says. "It's built from this beautiful yellow-pink sandstone and at night, just as the sun's setting, the whole city is lit up in gold. It's an ancient pre-Roman city, and one of the first universities in Europe is based there, having been founded in 1218.” She continues to say “Our hope is that when you sit down and have a drink in the bar, you’ll be transported to that feeling of relaxing in a Spanish square."

Also included is a virtual interactive exhibition 'Casa de las Meninas'. Drawing inspiration from Spanish culture more generally, the central female figure in Velázquez’s revered painting Las Meninas is an inspiration throughout the ship. There are two large modern Meninas sculptures by highly regarded Spanish pop artist Felipao, and the Dutch artistic and photographic duo Nienke Klunder and Wiglius de Bie, who live in Spain and work together under the KlunderBie banner have provided their own interpretation of Las Meninas.

Lounges & Restauraunts

My work was chosen for the Portside Forward Lounge, one of many comfortable spaces found on the ship.

The interior design team focused on style, comfort and attention to detail everywhere aboard Salamanca with plenty of bright and spacious passenger areas, hosting shops, lounges and cabins.

There’s a huge outside terrace on deck ten replete with dramatic artworks, three playrooms for children, numerous lounges, restaurants and bars and two large shops located in the heart of the ship. She also hosts a private exclusive C-Club lounge offering an assortment of snacks and drinks. Plus, in total there are 343 cabins, all with en-suite bathrooms. Click here to see the entire press release.

Many Thanks to Art Consultant Kimberly Poppe! It was such a pleasure to work with her and Catherine! Poppe’s eye and enthusiasm for this project was outstanding! My fellow artists on the ship include:

Atrium Bar - Karen Silve, Kimberly Poppe and Noémi Biró. Restaurants: Azul - KlunderBie. Tapas - Rubén Sánchez Lounges: CClub - KlunderBie & Felipao. Info Lounge - Kimberly Poppe, Mark Van Wagner & Noémi Biró, Portside Forward Lounge - Karen Silve Sundeck - Rubén Sánchez Casa Meninas - Felipao Cabins: Club - Kimberly Poppe. Deluxe - Mark Van Wagner

Thank you for reading! Please feel free to forward.

Very warmly, Karen Silve

Rejuvenation: My Bouquet—

Karen Silve at the Confluence of Courage and Hope

Essay by Richard Speer May 2021

Sometimes beauty alights as gently as dewdrops on the morning grass; other times it has to climb and claw its way up a dark crevasse until against all odds it emerges into the light of day.  That latter brand of tenacious, hard-won beauty is central to the origin story of Rejuvenation:  My Bouquet, Karen Silve’s sumptuous and inspiring new work.

To say that 2020 was challenging for us all is surely an understatement, yet for Karen Silve, the year was especially grueling.  During those twelve months she underwent three surgeries to treat a recurrence of breast cancer (from which she is now fully recovered), with months-long breaks between each surgery to regain her strength before plunging onward to the next operation.  During the COVID-19 lockdown, when her litany of surgeries commenced, she found herself socially isolated at precisely the time she would normally have been cared for by friends and family.  But into that chasm where direct human contact would have been, a different form of sustenance flowed into her daily life in the form of food and flowers arriving at her doorstep, delivered by a network of loved ones dedicated to fortifying her body and spirit as she navigated her series of crucibles.  In a sense, the food and the flowers were linked.  Whenever they depleted, more would arrive on the doorstep as replenishment.  Silve placed the new flowers in a vase with the older ones and witnessed their collective trajectory from full bloom to gentle bowing to the withering and petal-dropping of senescence.  She kept them in the vase long past their prime, for there is beauty too in the shrunken and sere, but at a certain point, as more reinforcements appeared, she removed what was dead and replaced it with new arrivals.  And so the bouquet never ended.  It was a fount of regeneration mirroring Silve’s own cycles of surgeries and recovery.

Eventually she began painting this bouquet éternel in luscious opulent acrylics on canvas—not literal depictions but composites of visions, memories, photographs, sensations, inhalations of revivifying fragrances borne on air and rising spirits:  hydrangea, peonies, poppies, roses, and a dozen-dozen more, rendered in effulgent gestures that never spilt over into surfeit or indulgence, never overworked, but looser, freer, minimalist, luxuriant but also raw.  The images are poetic, lyrical, narrative, rhythmic with brushstrokes broad and discreet—elegiac like the richness of life itself as it careens from peak to trough and back again.  The flowers are neither feminine nor masculine, but inflected with gray tones that speak to human tenacity, not gendered posturing, like the shades of gray in daily life, bookended by our polarities.

During this period, taxed though her body and spirit were, Silve remained devoted to her yoga practice, attending classes online.  Her teacher, Julie Lawrence, gave her “homework assignments” to meditate on the phenomena of courage and hope, the dual life rafts that buoyed her through 2020’s annus horribilis.  Simply to get up in the morning, pad into her studio, and paint was a challenge and accomplishment, fueled by hope and grit, requiring not only physical courage but artistic courage, too:  Were these paintings too raw?  Not raw enough?  Were they relevant amid the larger spectre of COVID wreaking global havoc?  Were they honest and true?  The doubts ebbed and flowed.  She kept painting.  Many of her compositions she infused with lavender hues, which seemed to symbolize hope and the fortitude it requires.  The paintings’ contrasts between silky dark passages, soothing grayscale, and bold, resplendent, sun-soaked hues bursting forth from the picture planes work together in dynamic synergy.  In the finished works, execution and concept come together in these paeans to rejuvenation embodied in an inexhaustible parade of flora, a bounty of positivity even during an era of masks, distancing, and fear.  This exhibition celebrates friendship, love, compassion, and commitment.  It admonishes us to summon our strength, stick with the program, and keep moving forward—to endure, to emerge, and finally to flourish.

“Rejuvenation:  My Bouquet–  Karen Silve at the Confluence of Courage and Hope”

Opens on May 21-July 3, 2021

Calloway Fine Art & Consulting 1643 WISCONSIN AVE NW, WASHINGTON, DC 20007 www.callowayart.com     (202) 965-4601

—Richard Speer is an art critic, author, and curator based in Portland, Oregon.  His most recent book is The Space of Effusion:  Sam Francis in Japan (Scheidegger & Spiess), a companion publication to the forthcoming exhibition Sam Francis and Japan:  Emptiness Overflowing, which he is co-curating with Hollis Goodall and Leslie Jones at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.  His essays and reviews have appeared in ARTnews, Art Papers, Artpulse, Visual Art Source, Art Ltd., Salon, Opera News, Newsweek, The Chicago Tribune, and The Los Angeles Times.  For more information, please visit www.richardspeer.com

“We must find time to stop and thank the people who make a difference in our lives.”

– John F. Kennedy

With thee surgeries this year, it has been an extremely challenging year. In reflection, this painting “Savoring Moments” makes me happy and appreciate my experiences, travels and most importantly, the people who have given me great opportunities and surrounded me with hope and great memories! I’m savoring all of those memories now! This painting was inspired by all of the sights and smells while meandering through Old Town Nice, France :)

Thank you to all of my family, friends, patrons and supporters! I am very fortunate, and know it is because of all of you!

Happy Thanksgiving!

My day on September 3, 2019

Wow, what a day! I started with a morning kayaking trip, then the afternoon took my breath away after seeing “Fabienne Verdier - Sur Les Terres de Cézanne” exhibition at the Musée Granet in Aix-en-Provence. Her spirit captured me. Sometimes everything in the day just falls into place, one action after another giving a sense of purpose.

The Power of Nature

I started the day on a kayak adventure in Cassis. In my little solo kayak, I rode into some of the deepest crevices and witnessed the power of nature. My mind questioned how this existed… wonder, evolution at it’s greatest. It was kind of like being in a Jerasic park movie, in which you turned a corner and didn’t really know what to expect. The cliffs were extraordinary. Watching the movement of the water eroding away the sediments became a rhythm of nature, something bigger than the whole of a person’s existence.

"These photos were taken while entering Calanque D’En-Vau in Marseille on my Cassis kayak trip. This private beach to kayakers and rock climbers was one of the coves we went into. Looking back from the second photo, you can see the cliffs we kayaked around."

After a morning of rigor and contemplation, I drove to Aix-en-Provence to see an art exhibition of one of France’s leading woman artist’s, Fabianne Verdier. I was so excited to go but didn’t know what to expect. I had only seen Verdier’s works online and knew they were Chinese influenced. But this exhibition was based on her going back to Aix-en-Provence, a previous home for her, and focusing on the power of Mont Sainte-Victoire. This intrigued me since I studied at the Leo Marchutz School in Aix-en-Provence, and probably painted Mont Sainte-Victoire 50 times during my studies there.

"One of my paintings of Mont Sainte-Victoire during my studies at the Leo Marchutz School in Aix-en-Provence in 1992."

Finding the Power in Painting

My experience viewing Verdier’s exhibition was much intensified because of my kayak experience earlier in the day. Verdier used the power of nature in her painting. It was honest, expressive, and thoughtful. An internal dialog within her paintings existed by the composition of the almost nurtured background with the expressive brushwork in the foreground, offering a moment in time that existed; something that couldn’t be changed. History and spontaneity were prevalent.

Upon more reading about Verdier, I found it fascinating how she developed maps of the flow of energy with lines by focusing on sound and rhythm. She studied in many places, but seemed to be most influenced early in her career after studying in China with Huang Yuan. Here is when she changed her traditional style of painting on an easel to painting on the ground allowing gravity to be a part of her “line”. She was influenced by different Chinese cultures and the chanting and songs that was a part of their culture. She had a desire to find an honesty that existed. She focused on finding a new reality of how rhythm from within translates to line and a new language.

This was the beginning of her new language in which music, harmony, and sound became a part of her painting. During all of her experiments, she became to realize the power that lies in a “single stroke of the brush” and ultimately, after returning back to France, developed one large monumental bush with pulleys to work the brush. This was made with more than twenty horsetails and could contain nearly 30 liters of ink or paint.

The exhibition consisted of works throughout her career. Many pieces were developed after her Music Experience, which started in New York, and continued in France. She worked with composers and musicians to understand the flow that is related to music as it pertains to line. She made many drawings before painting with the large brush to make sure she was in sync with the sound. She found a truth to the rhythm and sound.

This part of the exhibition spoke to me because I also worked for years on translating sounds into color and line. I’ve included a couple of my older paintings below.

"Early in my career, I found inspiration from musicians and how they moved with their instrument to create sound. Then, my focus went directly to the sound and how color and the energy of line created a similar sensation. My work became more abstract. I started with just the cellist before moving on to pure abstraction of the sound of a symphony. The triptych painting below, "Composition" was painted in 2004" "In the following painting titled "Symphony III", I focused on the violent and blissfull sounds of a symphony. "

In A Breath - it was told

What I found so amazing is how she incorporated modeled backgrounds which had a feeling of foundation, tradition and thoughtfulness. This was the backdrop for her expressive lines. She built these diptychs, triptychs and polyptychs before she painted on them. Once the background was finished, she could walk on them. The understanding of the surface she walked on that took weeks, or even months to prepare, must have given a sense of knowledge of what came before; an understanding of history. I can only imagine the contemplation and meditation she went through while walking on the finished background and how she must have felt when she arrived to the point of allowance to put her line down. And then finally, being present, in a breath it was done.

I’ve been influenced by the abstract expressionists in my career and was amazed how Verdier captured the freshness like the abstract expressionists, but kept a sense of tradition or history with the modeled backgrounds. The dialog of opposition such as contemporary and traditional or East and West was previlant. The division of the canvases added another dialog of multiple parts of a whole. There is a story to be told.

Spirit of the Mountain

The finally, sur les terres de Cézanne

The last two rooms in the exhibition were dedicated to the Spirit of Mont Sainte-Victoire. Before I came to the exhibition, I couldn’t figure out how she could capture the spirit of the mountain without color. It didn’t seem possible to me because my work is all about color. But after walking through the exhibition, I started to understand the power of the line that she worked so hard to express. The entire exhibition lead up to the last two rooms, and there they were, black lines identifying the spirit of the mountain.

She set up her large brush in five places in the outdoors around the mountain. Many of these places I had been close by and know that rocky terrain. I couldn’t believe how Verdier captured the spirit. I felt it. Not only because I studied that mountain as a young artist, but also because of my experience earlier in the day. Contemplating while kayaking in the swells around the cliffs and watching the violent and peaceful inter-plays of the elements, I felt the “power” of nature. The color was secondary. Her work gave me a new understanding, A new language that she developed that I understood intimately.

It was a very satisfying day. If you are in Provence, I encourage you to go to the exhibition. It goes through the 13th of October at the Musée Granet.

Thanks for reading! Please realize this is my opinion of the exhibition and how I reacted to it.

Very warmly, Karen

Life changes create new ideas and new work. I had a lot of life changes in 2018. These works reflect those changes. I decided to share the process I went through to develop this highly personal body of work.

These works will be exhibited at Susan Calloway Fine Art Gallery in Washington DC. The show opens May 4th.

2018

I faced many challenges in 2018 and went through a couple of life changes. The biggest was the separation of my long term boyfriend of almost 18 years. That impacted every aspect of my life. I felt like a failure and questioned if I had the strength to be single.

Also, I spent three months in France while finishing up an apartment. During this time, I struggled desperately with the language and felt pretty stupid most of the time. I’m sure I gained new wrinkles from my facial expression continuously exhibiting confusion.

Being immersed in a different culture in which I could barely communicate and being newly single brought a whole new meaning to the word solitude. Surprisingly, it actually feels a little claustrophobic. Feeling torn down to the core, I couldn’t wait for 2019.

The Mountains

The view from my apartment in France was inspiring. I looked at those mountains every morning and metaphorically they seemed to relate to my situation. I felt a weight in my gut every day because of the unknowns in my personal life, similarly to the weight you might feel before you go on a big hike up a mountain. You question: “Do I have enough water?”, “Do I have the right tools in case I get stung or have an accident?” And probably the biggest question is: “Do I have the strength to make it to the top?”

For those of you who have followed my work over the years, know that I start with an experience. Then I manipulate photos in photoshop to figure out how to express and develop the work.

With the mountains, I really felt like I had something solid to work with. Back in my Portland studio, I used the same tools mentioned above. However, nothing worked. It felt wrong. I hated everything. I could barely go into my studio. After months with nothing to show, I knew I had to make a change. But I didn’t know how.

The Self Portrait

In October, I hung a self-portrait from my late 20’s over my desk. I felt those 20 year old eyes staring in my soul. I remembered the challenges I was going through at the time I painted that self portrait. For whatever reason, I felt a strong desire to do a self portrait. And so I did.

Doing self portraits can be very painful. After all, there’s nothing between you and yourself. It’s like going to a therapy session in which you have to be very honest. This powerful process made me realize the mountains were simply a reflection of myself. I was vulnerable, and realized I needed to start the painting from a point of vulnerability. The first thing I did was take a bunch of nude photos of myself. Then I incorporated them into the mountain photos. All of the sudden I started to realize a new direction for this body of work. Here’s the first one.

Facing My Fears

I struggled desperately trying to figure out how to get the nude images of me with the French landscape in an honest and expressive way. I still had nothing to show my galleries and couldn’t face going into my studio daily, or even weekly.

One day I opened my email and saw this image of Tracy Emin sitting under one of her paintings: “What are you so fucking afraid of”. Wow! This image changed the way I walked into my studio. I realized fear was stopping me from painting. But what was I so afraid of? I didn’t know. I just knew I felt it.

Each day I had to enter my studio with the thought “no fear today”. I used mindful techniques to be present without fear, similarly to an experience in France in which I went up in a two seated airplane. Since I’m claustrophobic, it was a big deal. You can read about that experience here.

I needed privacy, like the way a one may write pages in a journal that is never to be seen. I painted with the idea that nobody would see these paintings. This allowed me to be very honest without fear but very vulnerable.

Gaining Strength

Almost all of my bodies of works have been based on finding a positive experience and expressing that experience on canvas. They were “gift” like, and I had a lot to give.

Not these paintings. My hopper was empty and I had nothing to give. I needed to be given back to. I was surprised once I realized these paintings were giving back to me. I found strength in creating them. None the less, each day was difficult as it would be to go to a therapist everyday unveiling all of your fears one by one. The following painting was another turning point.

Here, I worked on multiple nude images of myself in the french landscape. At some point, I decided to put more of my skin tone colors in the landscape. Then finally covering up the landscape with a color that related to me; a strong, determined feminine color. This color gave me physical strength in painting it, as well as strength in the painting itself. I kept the vulnerability in the center. It made sense, and I was on a new path.

The subject changed from the mountains, to the vulnerability of myself in the mountains, then finally my strength from my own vulnerability. I found this to be powerful, and true.

Here are a couple of other paintings that will be exhibited in my upcoming solo show.

Thank you for reading! These works will be exhibited at my solo exhibition in Washington DC that opens May 4th at the Susan Calloway Fine Art Gallery in Georgetown. If yo like my blog, please share using the buttons below.

Warmly, Karen

Upon reflection over this past year, I feel very blessed. Thank you all for your continued support! I truly appreciate it!

Sending good wishes for this holiday season and into the new year!

Warmly,

“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow.” – Melody Beattie