After a 25-year career in graphic design and illustration, Karen Schmidt is now a full-time professional artist living in the farm country of north Louisiana. A follower of Christ, she is married to a musician who keeps her laughing, is “Mom”-and-chief-wrangler of six dogs and concierge to four cats, all of whom have been subjects for her paintings. She finds endless inspiration for her art in the visual blessings of their daily life and the surrounding landscape: woods and tree-studded pastures, country roads, ponds and bayous. Working in oils and acrylics on gessoed hardboard, Karen uses both brushes and painting knives to build up glazes of transparent color, finishing with layers of opaque color painted loosely so that the vivid first layers show through in places; the end result often reminds the viewer of stained glass.
