Franciscan Sister of Perpetual Adoration Karen Kappell was born in 1942 in Appleton, Wisconsin and grew up in Kaukauna, Wisconsin. She holds a Master of Arts from the University of Wisconsin-Superior where her concentration of study was in ceramic-sculpture. In 1996 Sister Karen began ministering at Marywood Franciscan Spirituality Center in Arbor Vitae, Wisconsin, with program offerings that provided integration of spirituality and art. From 2014 to 2022, she served on the FSPA leadership team as a mission councilor. She has spent a significant amount of time living and teaching in the Northwoods of Wisconsin, relishing in the solitude and quiet that it offers. To this day, she holds workshops and programs at Marywood and continues to find a rich source of artistic inspiration there. Her artistic talents have touched and influenced the lives of many.

Sister Karen has had a prolific artistic career working in a variety of different mediums including fiber and paper art, ceramic, sculpture, painting and drawing. She has been featured in several shows and galleries in the Midwest. Her work focuses on landscape, florals and abstraction. She often finds materials on her daily walks and integrates them into her art. Of her creations she writes that “I am very taken up by the beauty of nature and the wonder of the universe and connection of all things. The webbing, weaving and interconnecting and high activity in nature are expressed in my art.”