Karen Phillips Curran

I’ve been an artist my whole life. It started over 50 years ago with an interest and lots of encouragement from folks who mattered. I soon found myself walking through the doors of the newly built High School of Commerce Vocational Art program. Specialised classrooms for painting, life drawing, art history, drafting, graphics design and illustration, photography, printmaking and ceramics all glowed with the potential we contributed to those rooms. Small classes and skilled teachers guided us through the various areas of expertise. After four formative years I was set up with a boatload of skills to navigate the world. That was 1973. I have used most of these, maybe all of the skills learned there, to create my life as an art.

These days I have a large comfortable room filled to the brim with ideas, in a studio that overlooks the Bear River valley. Clouds rush by, or blue skies reign, day or night. I’ve a quiet life here after moving thousands of miles from my home towards my first home, Nova Scotia. The rurality of it is satisfying and seems natural, comforting. I have hens and a rescue pup for company, both are my constant companions. I appreciate their approach to life, living in the moment, enjoying a romp, a nap in the sun, a bath, some yummy treats. What more does one need in the great scheme of things, really?

You will find me in my studio most days. I am always working in series, creating streams of images related to one another by style, message, technique and medium.