ARTIST STATEMENT
The American West. I love the moments: tooled saddle creaking with the horse’s rhythm; glints of pink and gold on a sorrel’s glossy shoulder; a skinny cowboy crossing his arms and leaning on a corral rail. Impressions like these become a blast furnace of unexpected color in my brain that pulls the rug out from under my urban experience. The myth of the Old West puts a new slant on how I view life.
My paintings are a city slicker’s embrace of sun and pine and dust. A moment between swinging my leg over the saddle and settling into it. A minute of boot heels clomping on a plank floor. An hour of fiddle music by campfire as the door to yesteryear swings open. My Western Series celebrates this world and those who shared their own West with me.Karen Barrie is a Wilmette artist who blends her talents and professional training into a multifaceted career.
ABOUT THE ARTIST KAREN BARRIE
Her Western Series offers a new slant on the Old West. Her oil paintings are inspired by girlhood TV Westerns, and grownup cowgirl days on ranch vacations. Each piece captures a moment of reflection or attitude characterized by a whimsical graphic feel and bold color.
Karen also does freelance writing and consulting in healthcare. Her experience as an educator and psychotherapist led to the publication of a co-authored book on stress management for working women. More recently, she co-wrote the award winning biography of Kenneth Milton Chapman, Santa Fe artist and anthropologist.
Karen’s art has been represented by Joan Cawley Gallery (Santa Fe), Gomes Gallery (St. Louis) and American West Gallery (Chicago). She exhibits locally as a member of the Wilmette Arts Guild and the Chicago Alliance for Visual Artists (CAVA).
PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS
- Chicago Alliance of Visual Artists
- Wilmette Arts Guild
PAST GALLERY REPRESENTATION
- Gomes Gallery of Southwestern Art, St. Louis, MO
- America West Gallery, Chicago, IL
Joan Cawley Gallery, Santa Fe, NM
ART SHOWS
2013
- Participant, Brooklyn Art Library/The Sketchbook Project
- Autumn, Annual Wilmette Arts Guild Members Show (non-juried)
2014
- Autumn, Annual Wilmette Arts Guild Members Show (non-juried)
2015
- July 15 – Aug. 31, One woman show, Lincolnwood Village Hall, Linconwood, IL
- Autumn, Annual Wilmette Arts Guild Members Show (non-juried)
- 29 – Oct. 30, Juried CAVA “Later Impressions” Show
- 19 – Jan. 31, 2016, Two person show, Bob Dannon Gallery, Evanston, IL
2016
- 11 – May 11, One woman show, Glenview Public Library, Glenview, IL
- 22 – July 30, Juried CAVA Members’ Show
- Autumn, Annual Wilmette Arts Guild Members Show (non-juried)
- 16 – Nov. 9, Juried CAVA “Later Impressions” Show
2017
- 20 – Aug. 18, Juried CAVA “Water” Show
- 26 – Dec. 3, One woman show, American Theater Company, Chicago, IL
- Autumn, Annual Wilmette Arts Guild Members Show (non-juried)
2018
- Autumn, Annual Wilmette Arts Guild Members Show (non-juried)
2019
- Autumn, Annual Wilmette Arts Guild Members Show (non-juried)
2021
- Autumn, Annual Wilmette Arts Guild Members Show (non-juried)