The new Albany Park Library was the perfect setting for my second solo show, “A Sense of Place.”  My Elbe River series of paintings filled the wall of the conference room and my newer paintings of New York, Palm Springs, and Tuscany were mounted in the glass cabinets.  The guests who came to the Opening Reception Tuesday evening November 3rd heard me talk about my artistic beginnings and mingled with others who enjoy seeing the work of a practicing artist.

Here you see several guests talking with Young Park, the Librarian who curated the show with me and other guests talking with me about my Elbe River series of paintings.

If you missed the opening, the show runs through November 28th during library hours.

Albany Park Library Nov. 2 – Nov. 28

Beginning Monday, November 2, 2015,  I will have a solo show at the Albany Park Branch of the Chicago Public Library.  The exhibit will feature:my Elbe River Series with three new paintings, New York cityscapes including “MoMA Views,” and new watercolors of Tuscany and Palm Springs, CA.

MoMA Views

Join me at the opening reception Tuesday evening, Nov. 3 from 6 – 7 pm. I will discuss my artistic beginnings and answer questions about my paintings. The discussion begins promptly at 6:30 pm.

This exhibit is free to the public and open during library hours: M&W — 10-6; T&TH – 12-8; F&Sat.—9-5. Limited free parking behind the library plus street parking. Location: 3401 W. Foster Ave. at Kimball.

Upcoming Fall Events

• North Shore Art League’s 2015 Members’ Show  – Two of my Elbe River Series paintings will be exhibited–“Vistas from the Elbe” and “Meissen Spires.”
  

  Meissen Spires

  

  Vistas along the Elbe

  Opening Reception Friday, September 11th, 6:30 – 9:30 pm with a light supper and open bar for $70/person. I will be in attendance at this gala event featuring paintings, art-in-bloom floral interpretations, and a silent auction.  Free viewing during Gallery Hours:  September 12th – 19th (Monday-Friday 11 to 4 pm; Saturday & Sunday Noon to 5 pm).  The North Shore Art League is located at 620 Lincoln Avenue, Winnetka, IL just east of Green Bay Road.  Call for info at 847-446-2870.

Oil Painters of American 2015 Juried Salon Show of Traditional Oils

“Elbe River Bend from the Bastei”

My painting “Elbe River Bend from the Bastei” was accepted in this prestigious juried salon.  The show will be at the Beverly McNeil Gallery in Birmingham, Alabama.  The opening reception will take place on Thursday evening, October 8th from 5:30 pm to 8:00 pm.

The Chicago Alliance of Visual Artists (CAVA), formerly the Senior Artists Network, has collaborated with the Old Town Art Center for a new show entitled “Art in Old Town:  Visions & Visionaries.”  One of my paintings–MoMA Reflections–was selected among the many works thought to best reflect the Old Town creative influence.

MoMA Reflections

I hope you can join me at the opening reception on August 9 from 2 – 5 pm.  This reception and show promises to be an event you don’t want to miss.  Shirley Baugher, author of “At Home in Our Old Town” and Old Town neighborhood historian, will talk about Old Town and its rich history of artists including Ivan Albright and Roger Brown.

I studied at the Old Town School of Art with several of its excellent artist/teachers from roughly 2008 through 2012;  I also had a solo show at the Old Town Art Center last year.  As a benefactor of the creative energy and influence that permeates the Old Town Art Center, I am delighted to have been juried into this show.

Exhibit August 9 – September 2 at:  1763 N. North Park Ave., Chicago, IL 60614 Call 312.337.1938 for hours.

Dusk and Dawn Diptych

Don’t miss the Chicago Alliance of Visual Artists (CAVA) opening this Friday May 8, 5 – 7 pm at the Evanston Art Center, 927 Noyes St., Evanston, IL  312-804-0337.  Gallery Hours:  Monday – Saturday 10 am – 7 pm; Sundays 10 am – 6 pm.  The Members Show runs through June 1.  My watercolor “Dusk and Dawn Diptych” inspired by my winter sojourn in Palm Springs California will be among the 40 works on display.

If you miss the CAVA opening, try visiting Winnetka and the North Shore Art League’s (NSAL) Annual Watercolor Works Exhibit where I’ll have two watercolors inspired by my trip to Tuscany last year:  “The Blue Door at Spannocchia” and “Bella Notte Siena.”

The Blue Door at Spannocchia

The Opening Reception is Thursday, May 21, 6:30-8:00pm.  The show runs May 19 through July 14th.  NSAL is

Bella Notte Siena

located at 620 Lincoln Avenue, Second Floor, Winnetka, IL 60093.  Call  (847)446-2870 for exhibit hours.

Watermedia Expressions Exhibit March 2015

WATER MEDIA EXPRESSIONS: An exhibition of creative works by Ingrid Albrecht and her students

See Karen’s “Blue Door at Spannocchia” one of several plein air paintings from her recent trips to Tuscany and Palm Springs at:

Ingrid’s Originals Inc. Gallery

3729 N. Ravenswood Ave., Suite # 138,  Chicago

free parking outside the gallery between Grace and Waveland near the Brown Line Addison stop

Exhibit opens March 13 and closes March 22, 2015

Gallery Hours: Saturday March 14:   1:00 to 4:00 PM

                                Sunday March 15: 1:00 – 4:00 PM

   By Appointment March 16 – 22, (Call 312-320-0833)

Mailbox at Spannocchia

See Karen’s latest watercolor paintings–plein air work from her trip to Tuscany and more recent work inspired by her vacation in Palm Springs, California–at:

WATER MEDIA EXPRESSIONS:

An exhibit of paintings by Ingrid Albrecht and her students

March 13 through March 22, 2015 at Ingrid’s Originals Inc. Gallery

Artists’ Reception: Friday, March 13–5:00 – 9:00 PM

Gallery Hours: Sat. March 14:  1:00 – 4:00 PM

Sun. March 15: 1:00 – 4:00 PM

By Appointment March 16 – 22, (Call 312-320-0833)

Gallery Location:   3729 N. Ravenswood Ave., Suite # 138,  Chicago 60613

free parking outside the gallery between Grace and Waveland near the Brown Line Addison station

In October 2014, I took a watercolor workshop with Evelyn Dunphy at Tenuta di Spannocchia in Tuscany.   For information about this special place see www.spannocchia.com; for information about the award-winning watercolor artist and remarkably gifted teacher, see www.evelyndunphy.com.   While I am primarily an oil painter, I also work in watercolor.  These are the plein air paintings I did at Spannochia in watercolor.

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While in Tuscany, I also spent three days in Siena, a day in the Cinque Terrra visiting four of the villages along the Italian Riviera, and five days in Florence.  I will be adding more paintings inspired by the Tuscan landscape.

90th Annual Members Art Show, The North Shore Art League

On September 5th from 6:30 – 9:30 pm, a preview party with a light supper and bar opens the show which will run through Sunday, September 13.  Gallery hours:   Monday through Friday, 11 – 4 pm; Thursday evening, 11 – 8 pm; Saturday and Sunday, Noon to 3 pm.  The opening reception costs $60. for reservations received by September 2nd and $70 at the door. See http://www.northshoreartleague.org for details.  Free viewing of the show after opening night.  Two paintings will be on exhibit at the show.  “Spring in the Country” is one.

Spring in the Country

Watercolor Works 2014

On September 12th from 6 – 9 pm and  September 14th from 1 – 5 pm, six of my watercolors will be on exhibit at the Bill Bartelt Studio.  The studio located at 4659 N. Ravenswood  (773-230-3198) has ample free parking in front and is close to the Brown Line and Metra.  The exhibit will also feature the work of Bill Bartelt, Maureen Carr, Gail Cotovsky, Mitchell Egly, Karen Goldstein, Ann Hoffman, Cynthia Johnson, Gerri Kaye, and Tony Plese.  “Brooding Skyline,” a 3 x 3 mini, is one of the paintings in this show.

Brooding Skyline

Filmed by Frank Dina at the artist reception held on August 10, 2014, the video features fellow artists Meredith Dytch, Diane Sutliff, Susan Walsh, and Ruth Woll talking with Karen about specific paintings and her development as an artist.

These still photos from the reception offer another perspective on the event.  The exhibit runs through August 28 at the Old Town School of Art 1763 N. North Park Ave..  Gallery hours:  Tuesday through Friday 10 – 5 and Saturdays 10 -1.

Signing In at A Sense of Place Artist Reception

The Elbe River Paintings

The Chicago Paintings

The Palm Springs Paintings

The NYC Paintings

The Imagined Places Paintings-I

The Imagined Places Paintings - II

The Imagined Places Paintings - III

Ruth and Elizabeth Talking about "The Other Bridge"

Susan and Marge Engrossed in Discussion

Ponce Studio Painting Group