Thursday, January 30, 2014

Meet Artist Karen Dukes, Spring Obsession Theme Division Artist

Karen Dukes, Artist / Painter

T-007 Centerpiece  acrylic 24x12  $425
Native Northern Californian, Karen Dukes’ musings derive from her passion for her personal garden.  Through nature and its inspirations, Karen creates with a whimsical style using bold color and texture to illustrate the magnificent dragonflies, butterflies, vineyards and tropical scenes.  Her style invokes many smiles from art collectors, novice art enthusiasts as well as children entering her Sacramento Studio.

Her use of bold colors has been praised as “happy, intriguing, and vibrant.”  She believes art should be an uplifting experience and a celebration of life.  In addition to being highly praised and juried into prestigious exhibits, Karen’s works have been readily collected with some collectors owning up to 5 pieces within their collections.
While studying with California painter, Steve Memering, Karen perfected her use of light and transparency as seen in with her dragonfly wings and water elements.  Currently, Karen’s pieces have evolved into a more pop theme and may be seen in many contemporary exhibits and galleries throughout the Sacramento Region.  As an artist, she has participated in Art in Public Places on murals, SN&R newsstands and cancer awareness projects.        
“My selection of subject matter is inspired by distinctive shapes and colors in nature.  I love to paint all the brilliance and beauty found in nature and establishing in my paintings a sense of movement.  An awareness of abstract design along with bright and bold colors is a part of this process.” - Karen Dukes

She started painting in 2006 and soon realized her talent to be more than just a hobby.  Currently, Karen’s studio is within the Metropolitan area of Midtown, Sacramento and opened in 2008.