Karen E. Lewis begins her oil paintings with observations of plants, wildlife, and favorite places. She spends many contented hours en plein air, sitting in some special spot with the sights and sounds of the outdoors, capturing her impressions of light and color. In the studio, these on-location paintings expand into larger works, creating retreats that evoke the live presence of a particular place in a particular moment.

Her style is characterized by enriched colors, subtlely broken, minimally blended, juxtaposed to enhance contrast, atmosphere, and mood. She uses brushwork expressive of the fluidity of air and water, the solidity of rock, the reaching growth of grasses and trees.

Her depictions of water come from an intimate relationship. She has dipped her paddle into moving waters, clung to the ridges of steep rock face, contemplated clouds and waves, learned their solid and fluid forms. To this intimate acquaintance comes the artist’s eye, capturing multiple layers of transparency, reflections, and motion.

Selected Awards

Selected Exhibitions

2008