Karen PORTER
Artist Statement
I have always loved to paint big. Really big! It has always felt to me as if the size of a normal paper or canvas couldn't contain what is inside of me that wants to come out and be expressed. It must be expressed! My art flows out of me with playful excitement and true joy. It's as if my very ideas create a spark of energy and ignite the wall and the atmosphere and everything in and around me with electrical anticipation and creativity that makes me smile while I'm painting! It is full-on all body painting, not just the hands and brushes, and it is not for the faint of heart, it requires strength and full body movements. I create my art for myself because I love to do it and it inspires me and it usually brings others joy as well. I don’t waste time being self-conscious, second guessing myself or being timid about expressing my abilities, because expressing myself expresses life, and I believe that's what we are all here for. What else is there, if not creativity?
The type of art I create tends to be animal-themed, or figurative. Sometimes in realistic form, sometimes in illustration, but always decorative in some way. That is inspired by my love for animals of all kinds, I am a horse lover and I remember the beautiful horses I had growing up. I devoted many hours to drawing and sketching horses, which evolved into painting them. I’ve always liked the idea of creating life sized beautiful horses. I like to express a playful, creative flair that balances out the realistic techniques, which are more rigorous to create. I love to use all colors, I get as much joy from the challenge of creating a beautiful painting using only black and white combined in greyscale, as I get in blending big, bold colors. It is far more challenging to create a life-sized horse or zebra or elephant using only black and white paint. It reminds me of another one of my first art loves: Japanese Sumi Ink. It is masterful and very Zen for me to create a realistic picture that fools the eye into thinking there is color, but really, I’ve only used subtle shades of grey and white for contrast. Ultimately, my intention for my art is to be a point of contact for inspiration and collaboration, where minds and ideas can meet, and where people can be brought together over something beautiful and creative and inspiring.
Background
Karen Porter is a professional artist and Art teacher with a bachelors degree in fine art from Eckerd College. Ms. Porter has won awards and has been awarded professional grants for her artwork. She also creates outdoor. Murals. She was commissioned by Busch Gardens to create five murals in 2018. She has two murals to her credit in downtown St. Pete. Ms. Porter currently teaches middle school and high school art at a private school in St. Petersburg. Additionally she teaches classes in her studio at the Arte lofts Studios in downtown St. Pete. For the past 10 years Karen has aRun and maintained artists of Tampa Bay, one of the areas largest online groups for support and promotion of local artists. She is a native of St. Petersburg resident and is passionate about supporting the local art community
Classes located at the ArtLofts Studios above the Florida Craft Art Gallery.
Call for appointment 727-481-6612
Instagram: @karenporter.artlofts.studios