Karen Watkins is a artist/illustrator currently living in Denver, Colorado. She grew up in Central Indiana and studied illustration at Columbus College of Art and Design in Columbus, Ohio. Her paintings are colorful, whimsical, and decorative in design. They also have a “cute” and sometimes twisted attitude. Karen’s favorite subject are animals, women, imaginary creatures, and natural environments. She likes to do paintings with acrylic on illustration board or on wood.

I studied illustration at Columbus College of Art and Design and now work as a artist in Denver, Colorado. Most of my paintings are acrylic because I prefer to work in layers and I like the fast drying of acrylic paint. I work on canvas, wood, and illustration board and like to paint the frames of my art so that they can become part of the artwork.

Many of my larger paintings are about human connections (or lack of connection) with the things around us like other humans and nature. They are also about the endurance of the human spirit especially the female spirit. Many of my paintings subjects involve morphing, usually involving animals morphing into plants, rock, etc., to also show the connections of all life and non-life forms.

There is much emphasis of aesthetic attractiveness with the use of vibrant color of acrylic paint and whimsical design. I want my art to be pleasing to the eye even if the content of the art is not beautiful. I also want my art to easily communicate its message to the viewer which I feel can be easier if the art is attractive.

My use of cuteness in my paintings (especially the smaller paintings) is to represent the simplicity and joy of life in a rather ironic and cartoonish way. Sometimes the cuteness is also used to represent deceit or a cute mask to the true wickedness that is hidden within. The small paintings, usually of animals, are fun for me to play with different color palettes and drawing.