Karen L. Kirshner, BA, MBA, MS
About the artist, Karen L. Kirshner
Critics have said, “Karen’s art is original, complex, exciting and beautiful. She does not accept the status quo. Even though she has complete control over her technique, she keeps challenging herself with new possibilities. If you seek power in a painting, you will find it in Kirshner.”
Karen Lynne Kirshner is an award-winning, abstract artist. Her recent awards include Award of Excellence from the Suburban Art League and Best in Show/First Place for her vibrant and highly original painting “Faith” at the Biennial National League of American Pen Women’s National Juried Exhibition. The organization is the first and most prestigious national tri-arts organization for women in the USA.
Karen grew up in a creative household, exposed to art at a very young age through socializing with popular artists while watching her artistic mother, Betty B. Kirshner, bring her visions to life. Early on Karen received awards for her intricate pen & ink compositions and had her first solo show through her high school cultural arts gifted program. She took numerous courses at the Art Student’s League over the years and was soon showing in Greenwich Village with her mother.
Karen has a BA from Vassar College, where she minored in studio art. She spent time in England in a graduate art program and earned an MS and an MBA with distinction. Karen is a member of many prestigious associations including, but not limited to, the highly respected BJ Spoke Gallery in Huntington, NY as well as the National Art League, Artists Alliance of East Hampton, National League of American Pen Women and the Independent Artists Society. Her paintings have appeared in catalogues and newspapers. She has shown at numerous galleries and her work is in private collections both here and abroad.
In the northern light of her studio, with her easel where her mother’s once stood, Karen is in a “zone” painting in a zen-like state. There are no props. She begins with a blank canvas. Sometimes she starts with a shape. It happens, emerges and evolves with interactive decision-making on a conscious intuitive level.
“I never know what I am going to do. I just know if I want to gesso with black or white or clear gesso and whether or not I want to start with a particular color.” She has often compared her approach to solving jigsaw puzzles, the more complex the more challenging.
Note: When Karen’s mother Betty passed away in 2015,. Karen immersed herself in art ,and the art world. “Every painting I exhibit is dedicated to my mother’s legacy. She continues to live through me.”
Please note: Website photos of the artwork have been watermarked. All of the work is original and not available for reproduction, without written permission. The best images are those purchased copies without watermarking. Individual works and copies of art are available for sale, upon request. The work on this site are earlier works than those you will see on Karen’s gallery site. The gallery and blog is at http://www.karenkirshner.com. Karen’s more recent paintings are available for purchase on Artsy and 1stDibs with The White Room Gallery of Bridgehampton. Her work can be seen 10 months out of the year at BJ Spoke Gallery in Huntington, NY and in many other venues.