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Like most artists, I started painting traditional
watercolors, wanting my paintings to look like my subject. Lately, all
that has changed. I now try to make my paintings unique and it’s
unimportant whether the painting resembles the subject or not. It is my
hope that you’ll be drawn to my paintings by their colors and by the
peaceful nature of my work.
I started my journey in watercolor in
1985, and have been painting almost every day since that time. I truly
love being an artist and feel very blessed to actually get paid to
do something that I love so much. My routine consists of teaching
workshops, participating in art fairs in the summer months, and painting
commission paintings and original paintings for the galleries in the
winter months.
I attended Concordia College in Moorhead, MN and have taken many
watercolor workshops from nationally known artists, such as Karlyn
Holman, Mary Ann Beckwith, Gerald Brommer, Nita Engle, Barbara Nechis,
John Salminen, and Diane Faxon. I have taken countless more workshops,
but the ones mentioned are the ones that had the greatest influence over
the direction of my artwork. I will always be eternally grateful to my
first watercolor instructor, Raghnild Berstol, whose positive comments
and free spirited demonstrations headed me in the right direction and I’ve
been addicted to watercolor ever since.
Originally from a ranch in Montana, I now reside in Minneapolis with
my husband of 30 years. We have two children who are grown up and on
their own. We love to visit Lake Superior and the North Shore as much as
possible. It’s a favorite, inspirational spot to paint. I’ve painted
countless images of that shoreline and Split Rock Lighthouse, too.
My goal as an artist is to constantly
grow and expand my knowledge of this spontaneous and fun medium. Lately,
the ghost imagery paintings are a great challenge, and the public’s
response to them has been very rewarding. These illusionary paintings
mix abstraction with realism, such as "Before the Wine".
My paintings are featured in numerous art books
including Splash 6, Watercolor Fun & Free, and Searching for the
Artist Within, and in the magazine, Watercolor Magic (Aug.’04). I am a signature member of
Transparent Watercolor Society of
America, Red River Watercolor Society and Northern Plains Watercolor Society. My artwork is now being featured
on gift bags produced by Garven, Inc. They can be found in retails
stores such as Target and Walmart. My artwork is also handled my numerous
galleries. If you have questions, or need
more information, please email me at info@karenknutson.com,
call me at (952)-934-0876, or write to me at Karen Knutson, 8621 Coachman’s
Lane, Eden Prairie, MN 55347.
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