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About Karlene
Born and educated in Chicago, and a lifelong resident, Karlene feels she has been greatly nurtured by the beauty of the lake, the parks and the vibrancy of city life.
Along with her love of creating art, which began in grammar school, has grown a deepening respect for American Indian spirituality and traditional practices. She has found that Native Americans have a generous and welcoming spirit for those who sincerely seek to understand and respect their ways. She believes that by coming to an understanding of America's native peoples, we can more readily appreciate indigenous peoples all over the world and their deep understanding of nature's many levels of life.
Very helpful to her art work have been many trips to national parks and several wildlife refuges in North America, which were guided by excellent wildlife biologists, archeologists and geologists. Supporting these trips, have been visits to several natural history museums in the United States, but particularly, Chicago's Museum of Natural History , and Aquarium, where one can easily take advantage of sketching the great diversity of live specimens or those preserved in life like dioramas.
In an age that is severely threatened by the abuse of these natural ties, she believes that art is one way to communicate and share with others, not only the beauty of our world, but the awareness that human life is, and always has been, completely dependent on a humane and reverent integration with the natural world.
Karlene at Mt. Rainier
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GENERAL EDUCATION
B.A. (Social Sciences). M.Ed (Curriculum) Loyola University, Chicago, IL
M.A. (ESL/Linguistics). University of Illinois, Chicago, IL
TEACHER (Illinois State Certified K-9; English 6-12. Illinois State Certified ESL K-12)
ART TRAINING
2000 - 2013 Leslie Hirshfield's Studio, Evanston Cultural Center, Evanston, IL Personal Art Projects
2008 - 2011 Valerie Richards, "Watercolor Program - Textures in Nature" Renaissance Court, Chicago Cultural Center, Chicago, IL.
2000, 2001 Peggy MacNamara. The Field Museum, Chicago, IL. Three watercolor workshops using specimens from the Museum (sponsored by the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Adult Continuing Education).
l995 - 2001 Eleanor Spiess-Ferris and others. Evanston Art Center, Evanston, IL. Portrait, Figure Drawing, Perspective, Printmaking, Illustration.
1977 - l979 American Academy of Art, Chicago, IL. Fundamentals Program. Saturday mornings.
JURIED EXHIBITS
2019 - "Light From Light" Edgewater Artists in Motion, "Women's Empowerment" March 7-April 14, Chicago, IL
2017 - "What Time Is It?" and "Endangered Species" Colfax Cultural Center ,Art and Social Justice Exhibit, South Bend, IL
2013 – Solo Exhibit "Wild and Free" - 27 images with texts. Evanston Public Library, Evanston, IL. May 3-31, 2013.
2011 - "Light From Light" (watercolor/pastel)and "Earth Reborn" (watercolor/pastel) Exhibit: "Beyond 9/11 – Humans Healing Nature 9/16/11 to 1/6/12.
"Victory?" (colored pencil) and "The North Wind Sings" (scratchboard/pastel print) Exhibit:" Animal Wisdom" 6/28/12 – 09/09/12.
Life Force Arts Center, Chicago, IL
2010 – "Southwest Mysteries" (watercolor, ink on papyrus) Senior Artists Network (SAN), Chicago Cultural Center, Chicago, IL
2009 – "What About Me" (collage). Included in the review of the exhibit in the South Bend Tribune (6/26/09) Colfax Cultural Center (CCC): Art and Social Justice Exhibit, South Bend, IN.
2009 – "What About Me" (collage) Honorable Mention. Senior Artists Network (SAN), Chicago Cultural Center, Chicago, IL
2008 – "Spirit of the Wolf" (pastel) SAN. Chicago Cultural Center, Chicago, IL.
2006 – "Endangered Species" (colored pencil).Colfax Cultural Center (CCC): Art and Social Justice Exhibit, South Bend, IN.
2005 -"Spirit of the Wolf" (pastel). Shared lst Place, mixed media category. $100 prize. Anti-Cruelty Society, Chicago, IL.
2004 – "The Gift" (linocut) Sacred Art Exhibit – 150th Anniversary ofThe First United Methodist Church, Evanston, IL
2000 – "The Military Fix" (watercolor), Colfax Cultural Center (CCC):Art and Social Justice Exhibit, South Bend, IN
1980 - Arts and Crafts Festival – Greeting Cards (linocuts), Felician College, Chicago, IL
NON-JURIED EXHIBITS
2018 - 15 prints on theme of WATER, Sept.18- Nov.30. Alderman's Office,48th Ward, Chicago, IL
2018 - 27 prints and text. Exploring World of Nature. May 11 - Aug. 10, Bethany Retirement Home, Chicago, IL.
2014 – 6 Prints. January. Starbucks, Bryn Mawr and Winthrop, Chicago, IL
12 Prints. February and March. Office of the 48th Ward, 5533 N. Broadway, Chicago, IL
2013 – "The Birth of Jesus Christ" and "The Gift" published in The Rose, Winter/Spring issue, magazine of the Emmanuel Episcopal Church, Athens, Georgia.
2000 – 2014 - Leslie Hirshfield Annual Studio Exhibits, Evanston Cultural Center, Evanston, IL
2008 - present - Senior Artists Network (SAN). In addition to the juried exhibits, have participated in various SAN venues in Chicago such as Glessner House, South Shore Cultural Center, Palette and Chisel, Old Town Triangle Gallery.
2001 -2010 - Wilmette Arts Guild, Wilmette, IL Offered their members one to three month exhibits at various locations and times in Wilmette, IL. These included Wilmette Library, Premier Bank, Bank One, Coldwell Banker Real Estate.
2009 - Edgewater Artists in Motion (EAIM), Chicago, IL. Art Fair, December 2009
2009 -"Earth Reborn" (print) Art donation to benefit St. Francis Hospital, Evanston, IL Art donations are hung in various areas of the hospital, e.g., patient rooms, waiting rooms, offices, call rooms for medical residents.
2007, 2008, 2010 - Murals, 48th Ward, Chicago, IL Community participant in the creation of the bricolage murals at the underpasses of Bryn Mawr and Lake Shore Drive as well as Foster and Lake Shore Drive.
KARLENE'S ART RESUME
