Artistic Chronology for Karen K. Lewis
For information about her upcoming Career Retrospective at the Ojai Valley Museum, click here.
| 1942-45 | While incarcerated in Santo Tomas Internment Camp in the Philippines during the Second World War, first developed my love of art by sketching camp scenes and designing clothes for paper dolls. |
| 1948-50 | Private art lessons, high school art classes, won a scholarship to attend Saturday classes at Chouinard School of Art |
| 1950-54 | Pursued a degree in Art at UCLA. Studied with Anita Delano, Jan Stussy, William Brice, Laura Andreson Figure drawing, painting; oils; mixed media; still lifes, landscapes |
| 1955-56 | Moved to Washington DC Classes with Robert Franklin Gates at American University Started my shift from palette knife to brush as main tool |
| 1957-59 | Moved to Dallas, TX The arrival of my children paused the further development of my artistic oeuvre! |
| 1959-64 | Returned to DC Studied portraiture and began a series of studies of neighbors and family, converting my kitchen and family room into a studio.Studied with Jacob Kainen in DC. Finalized my shift in methodologies from palette knife to brushes and focusing on oil as my preferred medium. Continued with portraiture, but returned to landscapes for the first time since college, chronicling the urban renewal scenes of metropolitan Washington |
| 1964-70 | Moved to New Rochelle, NY Family has grown to four children and a dog named Tinkerbell!The children and the dog became my primary models for experimenting with figure drawing and painting. Swedish style was quite popular in the Sixties, which is reflected in my work of that period. Craig and I reworked the family budget to allow for a weekly afternoon sitter to allow me to pursue art classes in figure drawing, etching and printmaking through the White Plains art center. Spent summers visiting friends in Pawling, NY ostensibly to create landscapes, but in the end crafted a series of still lifes with country vegetables! |
| 1965-75 | Along with art classes, joined several art groups in Westchester County to expand my network and explore other artistic styles.
Began entering local shows and exhibitions. Also became a Girl Scout leader to give my daughters that experience. This was the unofficial start of my teaching career, as I focused the troop on art, writing and acting! |
| 1975-79 | Completed my Master of Fine Arts at Lehman College, and obtained my accreditation as a teacher with an emphasis in art instruction.
Began my 10-year career as the art teacher at St. Gabriel High School in New Rochelle. Continued with figure drawing and printmaking as my primary artistic focus, supported with summer classes at the College of New Rochelle. Moved into a marvelous new studio on Webster Ave. that allowed my move to much larger works. This was a wonderfully creative period for me, especially as I began my decade-long fascination with chairs as a study subject. |
| 1978-89 | Founding member of Pindar Gallery, an all-woman collective in New York’s Soho. My first solo Soho show went up in 1978! Several other joint and solo shows were staged over the next ten years.
Also showed my work in exhibitions throughout Westchester County. My focus in those years was on still lifes, “photorealism” (expressing photos onto canvas) and figure drawing. Retired from St. Gabriel’s, and taught one semester at New Rochelle High School before accepting a position as an adjunct professor of art at the College of New Rochelle, working with aspiring young art teachers, training the next generation. |
| 1990 | As my husband neared retirement, we made the momentous decision to relocate to California to be closer to our parents (and many friends!)
There we discovered the incredible art community of Ojai, where we bought a property large enough to add a dedicated studio to the grounds. And so, ArtBarn was born! The beautiful California landscape drew me back into landscaping, traveling around Southern California with my fellow artists to capture scenes from Orange County to Tahoe. What a thrilling transition this was! A highlight was also starting my decades-long involvement with Ojai Studio Artists, a constant source of inspiration and collaboration. I did not neglect my skill development: My days included printmaking sessions, figure drawing classes and collaborations with other Ojai artists. |
| 1990-today | Exhibited in shows and collections throughout Ventura County and into Los Angeles County.
Traveled to Italy to study printmaking with Ron Pokrasso. Active participant in all Ojai Studio Artist annual tours, meeting art lovers and collectors from all over Southern California. |