Artist Profile – Karen Richardson
“It’s almost as if they are paying for the story, and the painting is free.”
So says Karen Richardson as she discusses her art, and the connection her clients make with the subject matter. “If the piece triggers a memory and keeps it alive, then that’s the piece for you.”
Growing up just outside Algonquin Park, and now calling Lindsay ON home, Richardson has been a professional watercolourist for 35 years, and credits excellent high school instruction as forming a strong foundation on which her art has evolved.
Her subject is nature – landscapes, waterscapes, skyscapes – and she works in realism; “I always want to capture those moments literally.”
She has sold over 800 pieces and her art can be found in over 20 countries around the world, including Pakistan, India, Australia, Russia, Singapore, Barbados, and most recently, Saudi Arabia, as well as several European countries, the USA, and Canada. She says most of her foreign collectors are ex-pats who long for a little piece of home.
Richardson’s inspiration comes from her travels. “It began when my husband and I, travelling on a shoestring budget when we were first married, would head off on a motorcycle to see what we could see. Now, we travel Canada and the US with our travel trailer. We kayak, hike on trails, and I always have a pocket camera with me to capture scenes which may later become the subject of a painting.”
She says inspiration comes to her as a happenstance of life. “I am authentically inspired by the life we lead.”
The COVID-19 pandemic has had an interesting effect on her sales. “Everyone has been feeling the need to embrace nature, and in the last 2 years my sales have doubled! My available works are nearly depleted at the moment, and I can’t keep up with the demand,” Richardson says as she reflects on her newly expanded popularity.
Richardson’s website, besides displaying her incredible pieces of art, offers the opportunity to sign up for classes, as well as giving instructional tips and videos to those wanting to learn more about the art of watercolour.
She is grateful for the support of the five galleries which carry her work and cherishes the relationship she has with each one.
“I love what I do – I paint the places that speak to my soul, and I hope it touches a real place inside the people who connect with my work.”
Karen Richardson Art Studio (by appointment)
Lindsay, ON karen@karenrichardson.ca www.karenrichardson.ca
Follow her on Facebook
Colborne Street Gallery by Tim + Chris
Fenelon Falls, ON 705-887-0997
info@colbornegallery.ca www.colbornegallery.ca
Cornerstone Canadian Art & Craft
Kingston, ON 613-546-7967
info@cornerstonecanadianart.com
www.cornerstonecanadianart.com
Eclipse Art Gallery at Deerhurst Resort
Huntsville, ON 705-783-2579
info@eclipsegallery.ca www.eclipseartgallery.ca
Meta4 Contemporary Craft Gallery
Port Perry, ON 905-985-1534
info@meta4gallery.ca www.meta4gallery.ca
