Karen Christie Fisher

Artist based in Mt. Hood, Oregon

ABOUT

Karen Christie Fisher is an abstract painter and designer using the language of color and texture to explore the landscape of emotion. She is currently working in acrylic paint on wood panel, utilizing a variety of acrylic mediums and conventional and unconventional tools to explore texture and mark. Color is her favorite tool. Karen is influenced and inspired by her love of modern design which began while growing up in New York City, and further developed during her four years studying at Oregon College of Art and Craft in Portland. She continues to rely on the skills learned while receiving her first degree, a B.A. in Anthropology from the State University of New York at Oswego to facilitate her research of the human condition. This curiosity is often the starting point for her paintings. Karen now lives and works in her studio in the foothills of Mt. Hood, Oregon. Her work can be found in private collections throughout the U.S. In addition to painting, she has spent the past 17 years as a consultant, designing and fabricating display units at the Portland International Airport. 


ARTIST STATEMENT

Have you ever seen a red so lush and juicy you could taste it? What about a yellow so bitter it tingles? Painting is the language I use to process and understand the raw physical and emotional experiences I encounter. Color and texture have always impacted me in a physical way. Through my work, I seek to connect with my viewer on this visceral level. I prefer to work large to allow interaction with more of the viewers body. Exploration and manipulation of materials challenges my instincts for control of my inner landscape. My process begins with building the cradled panels I paint on. My background in fine craft - ceramics, metalsmithing, and woodworking, continues to influence me. The materiality of building objects is satisfied in this step. The painting involves a lot of time on my palette with colors and mediums. I use a variety of tools to apply paint and often paint with my hands. This tactile exploration appeals to my senses and is often cathartic. I have a fascination with the residue of my painting practice. I collect jars of palette scrapings and boxes of used paint stained gloves. This is the record of my time in the studio and I hoard the remains like treasure. It is the messy evidence of what really happens in the studio, counter to the cleaned up version, the paintings, I present to the world. 


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