"lean" Painting

Karen is a Canadian, expressive abstract artist. Her paintings explore ideas of identity and act as a catalyst for conversation. Working in two series simultaneously, she explores the strength of individuals and how that strength affects relationships.

Figures and a neutrality to those figures, are essential to sharing her concept-driven artwork. “I believe there is no better way to demonstrate inner strength, characteristics, relationship challenges and personal development, than to strip away ideas of an individual or culture and reveal the essence of being. The shade of skin, shape of body, sexuality and environment that surround the figure(s), must be accessible. To that end, I work with body-positive images — skin tones that neutralize bias and stereotyping, sometimes intimate body details or poses, often bold and expressive colours — allowing the act of painting to dictate the level of abstraction and technique required to move through the painting.”

Karen’s love of abstract expressionism and studies of color associated with the key energy points in our Chakra system, heavily influence her techniques and palette. Working primarily in oil paints, the manipulation and expressive qualities of the medium exemplify her concepts.

Oftentimes, her artwork is considered sensual, intimate, and powerfully romantic. She strives to keep the paintings direct and raw, to incite communication between individuals.

Karen’s studio is in The Cotton Factory — a creative hub in Hamilton, Ontario. Her practice is to take creative retreats (national and international) where she draws on the culture and environment in a concentrated period to experiment and create new art.