Karen Wysopal  - NEW! Karen Wysopal - NEW!
Karen Wysopal is a Boston native and self-taught painter living in Corvallis, Oregon. She works in various mediums, primarily in alcohol ink; a vibrant, fast-drying ink known to make stunning designs on non-porous surfaces. Concentrated and waterproof, alcohol ink is also semi-transparent and fluid, creating abstract effects rich in color and organic quality. Using tiny drops of ink, isopropyl alcohol, and an air source to move the inks around, the alcohol evaporates, and the ink quickly dries, producing unique designs not possible with other mediums. The process creates a “polished stone” result, most unusual in painting techniques.

Karen’s paintings are born of “curiosity, experimentation, and the ongoing desire to try something new. A piece is complete for me when it speaks of something beyond the materials that make it up.” Always infusing her nature inspired paintings with vivid hues, she creates art because, “connection to the world through color, pattern, and texture is grounding to me.”

Karen traces her artistic roots to childhood, sketching the buildings around her and the pets she had at home. At age nine, her illustrated pet care guide, “Gerbils and Other Stories”, was published in Big Rock Candy Mountain, Fall 1971. She continued drawing and painting through high school, learning weaving, ceramics, photography, bookmaking, collage, and beading. After college, she made and sold her own line of beaded jewelry. Moving to Corvallis in 2011, she worked as a software developer for two decades before returning to art full-time. After running her own greeting card business for many years, Karen is delighted to partner with Allport Editions to bring her luminous, vibrant, and positive work to a wider audience.

Pairing nicely with our fine art, landscapes, and abstract lines, Karen’s soothing palettes, pleasing compositions, and stunning presences are a fabulous addition to our roster of independent artists. Managing to be both calming and exciting, her cards resemble stained glass with their other-worldly blasts of color. Her designs sell well in Boutiques, Bookshops and any business where rich, striking, imagery is found.

Karen’s work has been exhibited in galleries in Oregon and California, has been licensed for book covers, and for a large-scale installation at a corporate campus in Silicon Valley.