Karen Wheeler is a mixed media artist based in New Haven, Connecticut.
Karen has over 30 years of extensive exhibition and teaching experience. She now devotes her time to her studio practice.
Artist's Statement
There’s something uncomfortable in writing about my work- trying to translate visual, tactile, intuitive experiences into words.
However, what I think it’s all about for me is capturing, cultivating and creating joy.
I have explored a variety of media over the years, primarily working with drawing, painting, handmade paper and collage in both 2d and 3d approaches. My work is process driven. I revel in the total engagement of making my pieces- whether it’s close contemplative observational drawing, or the messy physicality of my hands in paper pulp, paint, or glue.
Creating my work involves playful puzzle solving. My first moves with materials are often intuitive and spontaneous. I then study and respond to these visual clues to resolve the images to my satisfaction. I love engaging with the mystery as the work reveals itself in ways I could never have planned or predicted.
This process brings me an enormous sense of soulful, joyful connection. My hope for the viewer is that my work engages the imagination and invokes a similar sense of the joy I feel in the making.