Karen Silve

Karen Silve’s paintings are distillations of her emotions, impressions, and experiences in the realms of nature and culture. Surrounded by the scenic beauty of the Pacific Northwest and the countryside in Provence France, she layers color and gesture into abstracted narratives—composites of visuals, sensations, and memories, which coalesce in a non-literal pictorial space. Often, the paintings create a bridge between counterpoints, such as ambiguity/clarity, calmness/tension, and exterior/interior—resulting in a deep sense of harmony and resolution.

Placing the artist in the lineages of Cézanne, Monet, de Kooning, and Mitchell, renowned critic Peter Frank adds:  “For all their brushy, dripping exuberance, Silve’s paintings are composed with an almost architectural rigor that emulates nature’s own glorious rhythms.”

This heightened sensitivity to the natural world may stem from her early work in figuration and landscape. It was as an emerging artist, studying in Aix-en-Provence France at the Leo Marchutz School, that she found her true passion for painting, color, and nature, as well as the work ethic that would power her through the years to come. She also studied under Alvin Sella, an Italian abstract painter and professor at th...

Awards
2023 Grant Recipient: the Oregon Arts Commission and the Ford Family Foundation 2011 Artist Residency, Texas A&M University
2011 Professional Development Grant, Regional Arts and Culture Council
1992 Scholarship, University of Denver
1988 Scholarship, University of Alabama

Education
1992 BFA, University of Alabama - Tuscaloosa, Alabama
1992 The Institute for American Universities, Leo Marchutz School - Aix-en-Provence, France 1992-93 Graduate Studies, University of Denver - Denver, Colorado

2025 Passages, Rediscovering my Roots, Galerie Domnine, The Culture Department of Sisteron - Solo Exhibition

2025 Pathways, Rediscovering my Roots, Calloway Fine Art and Consulting, Washington DC - Solo Exhibition

2024 Personal Structures, Venice Art Biennial, European Cultural Center, Venice Italy - Group Exhibition

2023 The Sea and Shore— Finding Balance, Calloway Fine Art and Consulting, Washington DC - Solo Exhibition

2022 Abstractions, Calloway Fine Art & Consulting, Washington DC - Group Exhibition

2022 Madison Avenue Gallery Walk presented by ArtNews. Hubert Gallery, New York, NY - Group Exhibition

2022 Summer Group Show, Hubert Gallery, New York, NY - Group Exhibition

2021 Rejuvenation: My Bouquet, Calloway Fine Art and Consulting, Washington DC

2021 2019-2021 Art in Embassies - Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei - Group Exhibition

2019 Transitions, Calloway Fine Art and Consulting, Washington DC - Solo Exhibition

2019 Summer Interlude: A Celebration of Color, Calloway Fine Art and Consulting, Washington DC - Group Exhibition

2018 Conversations, CYNTHIA-REEVES, The Barn, Walpole, NH - Solo Exhibition

2018 Art New York with CYNTHIA-REEVES – Booth 301, Pier 94, NYC - Group Exhibition

2018 A Year in Review, Susan C...