About the Artist
Karen Tyler paints domestic interior scenes and abstracted figures rendered in strong colors and layered textures. She likes to work large and let her brushwork express her energy and “quick take” on what she sees or imagines. The subjects she paints are all around her, from her home in Northern Virginia to the interiors of friends and family. All it takes to inspire her is a nook or cranny of a room or the colors in her paint box.
Literalism is not a concern for her, but fresh application and spontaneous gesture are. She creates soft edges and loose renderings of her subjects. She oftentimes uses a palette knife instead of a brush to apply her final paint layers to avoid precision and ensure that "perfect is not the enemy of good." She has chosen acrylic paint as her medium to allow her to layer and juxtapose colors quickly one over another.
Karen's mother, Jean Richardson, is a well-known American acrylic painter who gave Karen a first-hand view of a professional artist's life and provided her valuable instruction in painting. In December, 2020, Karen juried into the prestigious Torpedo Factory Art Center in Alexandria, Virginia as a Resident Artist.
Karen's work is represented nationally and internationally by art galleries in Washington, D.C., Virginia, Pennsylvania and Madrid, Spain. She has participated in several group shows in Washington, D.C. and Maryland. She exhibited at the International Contemporary Art Fair Art3f 2024 in Paris in January, 2024, had a solo show at the Findings Art Gallery in Lynchburg, Virginia in February, 2024, and was in a group exhibition in February, 2024 at the Monat Gallery in Madrid, Spain. Her work can be found in private collections across the United States, as well as in the United Kingdom and Australia. Karen has her own studio where she paints and sells her work on the third floor of the Torpedo Factory Art Center in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia, Studio 329.
Art Demo: Paint Layering
October 2020
Join the artist as she takes you through a short video demonstration of her artistic process and paint layering techniques.
Studio News
March 2024
Artistonish Magazine selected Karen to be one of its featured artists in 44th edition of its magazine in March 2024.
February 2024
Karen exhibited in a group exhibition "Marea" at the Monat Gallery, Madrid, Spain in February, 2024.
February 2024
Karen was featured in a one-person exhibition at the Findings Art Gallery in Lynchburg, Virginia in February, 2024.
January 2024
Karen exhibited at the Art3f International Contemporary Art Fair in Paris France in January, 2024