A R T I S T S T A T E M E N T My paintings are a product of my surroundings and the events and people I observe and interact with every day. Because I work very intuitively, everything I see and experience tends to influence my work...sometimes as major shifts in color or energy, sometimes just as nuance. Some influences are overwhelmingly positive, like the stunning splendor and variety of my Colorado surroundings, and the people who enrich my life. Other input is more difficult and challenging, but all of it impacts the work. My paintings are a byproduct of living...challenges, beauty, hope, and loss. They reflect my gratitude for our beautiful planet and my optimism about the ability of the human spirit to overcome obstacles and build a better world. There will always be events and situations that cause stress, fear, anger, and even hopelessness. I believe during those times, pausing to remember and appreciate what we cherish – little familiar things as well as the momentous – can sustain us. Sometimes just a quiet moment of gratitude – or a beautiful painting – is enough to lift our spirits and carry us forward. Creating beautiful work that can inspire, encourage, and uplift has been my goal for more than 36 years. The need for beauty is great...there is still much work to do, and I believe my best work is yet to be created. B I O G R A P H Y Karen Scharer’s paintings begin as a series of loose glazes of color. As shapes and impressions emerge, she applies layers of transparent and opaque paint to further develop the structure, design, and the impact of each piece. Her technique produces an infinite variety of hues and effects that could not be achieved solely by mixing color on a palette. The interplay of contrast and movement, texture and balance, shape, line, and color create images that draw the viewers in, inviting them to see not just with their eyes but also with the heart. Karen Scharer grew up in a family where creative expression was valued and encouraged. Her parents met in an oil painting class, and some of the earliest “toys” she remembers were crayons and watercolors. Scharer also gained a love of the outdoors from her father at an early age, and graduated from the University of Montana in 1975 with a degree in Natural Resource Management. Employment with the Forest Service, and later IBM, took her from Montana to Idaho and then to New Mexico. It was in New Mexico that Scharer began to paint in earnest and where she received tremendous teaching and support from a community of remarkable artists. In 1991, Karen and her husband, Al, settled in Colorado, where she eventually stepped away from IBM to devote her time to her art. Scharer’s work now reflects her decades of commitment to her art practice and many opportunities to study with a wide range of artists. Her work is informed by a diverse mix of experiences from travel, her love of the natural world, and a 17-year career in technology. During her 36+ years of painting, Scharer’s work has transitioned from realism to abstraction, and from watercolor to acrylic to oil, a medium which has completely captured her focus and passion for the past 17 years. Scharer is based in Pueblo West, CO where her home and studio sit beneath dramatic skies just minutes from the beautiful Arkansas River, and a short drive from some of Colorado’s most spectacular mountain peaks. The spectacular Colorado landscape is a constant source of inspiration for her intuitive painting approach. C O L L E C T I O N S BMW Corporation, Plano, TXPonzio Visual Arts Center, Colorado Academy, Denver, COParker Adventist Hospital Cancer Center, Parker, CORitz-Carlton Resorts, Beaver Creek, CODominion Oil, Oklahoma City, OKEnvision Healthcare, Denver, CODouglas County Library System, Castle Rock, CO