Artwork

The central focus in my artwork is conveying vibrancy and energy. I believe that art is a universal language that has the ability to bring comfort, healing, inspiration and joy to viewers. My goal is to create art that is connected to the natural world around us while transcending that world in an idealized sense. I believe that the power of art is more than the depiction of objective, physical reality. The real power of art is the feelings embodied in a particular visual image.

As an artist residing in a rural, western state, I have striven for years to find a unique niche that would be a contemporary approach to expressing the expansive spirit of the west in visual form. My work includes colorful florals and landscapes in a bright, textured impressionistic style and abstract acrylics with flowing colors and complex layering. My florals and nature-based art features thick, textured petals and leaves that can almost be plucked from the painting. I've developed this unique, nearly 3-D style over the course of a decade of experimentation.

See gallery of flowers paintings.

The connection to nature, felt so keenly in the unspoiled Montana landscape under a vast blue sky, actually extends beyond what we see in the physical world. There are hidden realities that come to light through telescopes, microscopes and through the added element of imagination that takes the viewer to a place where nature is infinitely varied and is always bursting with vitality.

Montana's incredibly clear, dark night skies have made this a favorite spot for both amateur and professional astronomers. The expansiveness of the universe revealed by the Hubble Telescope extends my own artistic vision to include natural phenomenon that would normally remain unseen by the unaided human eye. These original paintings are created through a process of multiple layers of thin acrylic washes. Some paintings include gold paint or glitter to simulate the effect of twinkling stars.

See all celestial artwork.

I see art and beauty as having a major impact on human life. I believe that art has tremendous practical as well as aesthetic value. Research shows that art can help heal hospital patients, increase learning rates in classrooms and improve productivity in work places. For me, art enriches the entire process of living.

See all of Kathleen's paintings and learn more at Kathleen Karlsen Art.