**[Karen Remsen](https://www.cohart.com/karenremsen/profile)** is a Chicago-based artist creating oil and mixed-media paintings. Her work centers on exploring the multifaceted nature of female power and identity. Combining paint with reflective materials, her work also explores the beauty and complexity of light as it moves over a surface and changes throughout the day. Karen is a self-taught artist who rediscovered painting in 2020 after a hiatus of nearly 15 years.

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##### Can you describe your artistic process? What materials and techniques do you typically use?

Most pieces start with finding a reference photo that appeals to me in some way. Then I brainstorm different compositions to incorporate that reference into a larger concept. I usually do a few quick digital sketches, and then a life-size higher-fidelity sketch on paper. By the time I start painting, the idea is 95% realized in my head, and then it’s just about execution. However, more recently, I’ve begun to allow myself more flexibility and creative decisionmaking during the painting process by not planning every detail.

In terms of materials and style, oil paint and realism are two major throughlines in my art. I simply enjoy using oil paint. Not only because of the incredible range of techniques it can support, but also because it just makes sense to me in a basic, physical way that other media do not. Realism is rewarding in many ways: the technical achievement of rendering a subject faithfully, the more elusive goal of capturing something about the subject’s spirit, or simply paying tribute to the beauty of the natural world with minimal interpretation. 

I have been experimenting the past year or two with combining oil paint and unusual materials such as glass beads and crushed semi-precious stone. It’s a challenge to get these materials to play nicely together, to look cohesive and complement each other instead of clashing. I’m still figuring it out, but I’m excited to see where it goes.

##### What message or emotion do you hope to convey through your art?

Any message or emotion conveyed through my art is the result of me trying to settle into a feeling that I want to feel. When you spend dozens or even hundreds of hours on a piece, you end up feeling whatever emotion it evokes while you’re working on it. I think that’s why my pieces tend to convey positive emotions such as tranquility, peace, confidence, and power.   

##### ##### Can you discuss a piece that challenged you both technically and conceptually?

One of my favorite pieces from 2024 is “Bacchus.” This was maybe the second or third beaded piece I made. The design I came up with for the beaded elements was complex and ambitious, but I liked it. I didn’t know if all the elements would come together. It required a leap of faith to spend hours and hours meticulously laying down strings of beads in the hope that something beautiful would emerge. But, I’m really pleased with how it turned out.

##### Can you share a specific project or piece that holds special significance for you? Why is it important?

One piece in particular that resonates with me is “Sylvan.” I live in Chicago, which is a beautiful city with lots of wonderful places to explore. But, I love getting outside of the city and walking through forests. I feel a sense of peace and relaxation underneath trees. I wanted to capture a bit of that feeling in this piece.

##### How important is the exhibition space to the presentation of your work? Do you adapt your pieces for different venues or spaces?

The only thing that’s really important is the light. Because I work with reflective materials, light can dramatically change how a piece looks. I have two large paintings hanging in my living room that include gold leaf. They completely transform throughout the day as the natural light moves across the window, and as we turn on artificial light in the evening. This mutability is one of my favorite aspects of my work, and unfortunately it can’t be easily duplicated in an exhibition space.

##### What impact do you hope your art has on the community or society at large, if any?

I aim for impact on a personal level, I think. I’m happy with one person deeply connecting with a piece and keeping it in their home for many years. I hope it evokes the same positive emotions for them as it did for me. 

I recently had the opportunity to create a very large painting for a Starbucks in downtown Chicago. It’s my first piece that will be seen by thousands of people every year. This is cool, but I still find myself mostly wondering about the reactions that individual people will have to it and what it will make them feel. 

##### Do you incorporate any cultural or historical references into your work?

I read a lot, mostly fantasy and science fiction. I think some of that flavor, along with more general themes of mythology and storytelling, often end up in my work. For example, I did a collection a few years ago that reinterpreted The Hero’s Journey with a female hero at the center of the story.    

##### How do you handle feedback on your work?

Somehow, I ended up with a brain that truly doesn’t care about strangers’ opinions. I’m not sure what combination of nurture, nature, or effort made me this way, but I’m grateful for it. When someone I don’t know has feedback or criticism about my work, I try to understand what they mean, but it doesn’t really affect me emotionally.

I do care about the opinions of people I love and respect. I will spend a lot more time and effort thinking about their reactions. But, at the end of the day, I make art that I enjoy. I came back to art in my mid-30s after not painting since I was a teenager. My life took a very different path for many years, and in some ways I’m thankful that I didn’t become a professional artist until I was a full-grown adult. It gave me a more solid footing to create without the pressure and influence of others. 

##### If you could collaborate with any artist, living or deceased, who would it be and why?

Probably Klimt, simply due to our mutual interest in reflective materials and combining abstract shapes and realism. I would have a lot of questions for him about his process.

One artist that I would love to meet but not necessarily collaborate with would be Artemisia Gentileschi. I saw an exhibit of her work at my local art museum when I was young. I don’t think I fully recognized it at the time, but that was probably my first inkling  that women paint women differently. I was mesmerized by the fact that she painted with the same skill and style as her peers, but her art felt fundamentally different. The women in her paintings felt like the main characters of their stories. 

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Karen Remsen's oil and mixed-media paintings explore light, identity, and tranquility, evoking positive emotions like peace, confidence, and power.


Spotlight: Karen Remsen on Exploring Light, Identity, and Tranquility

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