Artist Spotlight - Karen Kanas — Contemporary Art Curator Magazine

Biography

Karen V Kanas is an award-winning artist. She is well known for her vibrant use of color in her landscape, abstract, portrait, and figure paintings.

Autumn 2024, Acrylic on Canvas, 12" x 16", 2024

Karen was raised in Chicago, Illinois and involved in the arts from a very young age. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in theatre from the Performing Arts Center, Barat College of DePaul University. Karen was fortunate enough to work with such theatre companies as Steppenwolf Theatre, Goodman Theatre, Chicago Theatre and Phoenix Theatre to name a few.

Summer Shoreline, Acrylic on Canvas, 16" x 20", 2024

She studied painting and art history throughout her years in school, in addition to studying architecture and interior design when she moved to Los Angeles, California at UCLA. Karen has been an artist for over ten years. Her background in theatre has influenced her immensely as an artist. Many pieces of her artwork have been on exhibit in Los Angeles, New York City, San Jose and Huntington Beach.

Energy, Acrylic on Canvas, 24" x 36", 2024

Karen was featured in DESTIG Magazine as one their top emerging artists for 2019, the Los Angeles Art Association 2019 Volume 2 Catalog, and Al-Tiba9 Contemporary Art’s 2022 Collectors’ Art Book, Volume 1. She is a Founder Member of ArtChilli Gallery UK, and a member of the Los Angeles Art Association.

California Hillside, Acrylic on Canvas, 24" x 20", 2018

Karen's artwork was featured in the September, October, and November 2021 issue of House & Garden Magazine UK, she was the recipient of the 2020 Artist of the Future Award by Contemporary Art Curator Magazine and the 2021 recipient of the Award of Artistic Excellence for her Painting, Dancer in Motion, by Circle Foundation for the Arts.

Autumn, Acrylic on Canvas, 12" x 16", 2016

She also wrote and produced her video performance art piece, The Unseen Artist which is a self-exploration of herself as an artist. Karen is the director of the online series, Shakespeare's Pawn. Part One of Shakespeare's Pawn won the award for Best Production Design Short by the Marina del Rey Film Festival in June 2022 and won Best Short for Shakespeare's Pawn: Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, by the Hollywood Blvd Film Festival in July 2022, among other recent awards. Karen resides in Los Angeles with her husband actor Ammar Daraiseh.

Variations on a Theme I, Mixed Media, 12" x 12", 2022

Artist Statement

I like capturing the beauty and essence of a moment in time or an idea I have that I want to explore on canvas. The content of my artwork ranges from landscapes, abstract art, portraits, and figures. I paint quite deliberately, engaging both traditional and innovative techniques; creating a custom palate for each painting with one dominant color that takes precedence throughout the piece.

Variations on a Theme II, Mixed Media, 12" x 12", 2022

My background in the performing arts has shaped my creativity as an artist throughout my life. I share this quality with Marc Chagall who I relate to the most as the performing arts were a significant source of his inspiration throughout his artistic career. With each painting, I learn something new about myself; each work motivates me as an artist and brings me great joy. My talent is always a work in progress. I never settle, which pushes me to explore even further.

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