Karen Coburn

Since the age of 4 it has been my passion to be an artist. I am so grateful for the ability to express myself through my creations and in so doing, touch the hearts and souls of others in significant and enduring ways.

As a sculptor, I have worked with a variety of media, including clay, bronze, steel, paper, acrylic and found materials. I am a figurative artist working primarily in the lost wax method of bronze casting. Bronze is my medium of choice. It is strong and enduring; the beauty and power of at last watching the molten metal flow into what is my creation is like a birth. It is magical.

I love the process of creating. I start with wire and modeling compounds—just bits and pieces—and in the end there exists a three dimensional creation that wasn’t there before. It has a life of its own. I may start out working on a piece with a specific concept in mind, but during the process the piece tells me the direction it wants to take. In the end it is often so far from my original idea and intention that I have to stand back in awe.

I am moved by the sensuality of the process--the feel and textures of the materials, the way everything smells, the music that plays in the background and in the end what I see. To me it’s magi...

I was born in Chicago, Illinois and attended the University of Illinois, and earned my Bachelor of Arts in Education from Roosevelt University in Chicago. I taught elementary school for a number of years before starting my own family. In the early 1980s I began to pursue my career in earnest, earning both Bachelor and Master degrees in Art, with honors, from California State University Northridge.

I have exhibited nationally in galleries from Florida, Colorado, Texas, and California. Past exhibits include the Billy Graham Museum in Wheaton, Illinois, The Grace Cathedral in San Francisco, Loyola Marymount in Los Angeles, California State University Northridge, the Milken Gallery, and the Bonita Museum in San Diego, California.