Karen Tyler
Alexandria, Virginia
Acrylic painter of large abstracted domestic interiors and figures rendered in bold colors and layered textures.
Message
Karen Tyler paints domestic interior scenes and abstracted nude figures rendered in strong colors and layered textures. She likes to work large and let her brushwork and palette knife express her energy and "quick take" on what she sees. Karen's mother, Jean Richardson, is a well-known American acrylic painter who gave Karen a first-hand view of a professional artist's life and provided her with invaluable instruction in drawing and painting. Karen became a full-time professional artist in 2020, and that same year, juried into the prestigious Torpedo Factory Art Center in Alexandria, Virginia as a Resident Artist. Karen has her own studio on the third floor of Torpedo Factory where she paints and sells her work. Karen's work is also represented by art galleries in Washington, D.C, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. Since 2023, Karen has exhibited in a two-person show in Washington, D.C., had a one-person exhibition of her work at the Findings Art Gallery in Lynchburg, Virginia in 2024, and has participated in several group shows in Maryland, Virginia, Paris and Madrid. Most recently, Karen juried into a group show in Washington, D.C. at American University in April, 2025. Her work can be found in private collections throughout the United States and the United Kingdom.
Statement
I want my work to make you feel more than think.
In an increasingly turbulent world, I choose to create paintings that invoke both feelings of serenity and the vibrancy of daily life. My abstracted interior scenes and nude figures are simple, relatable, everyday subjects that reflect the intimacy and comfort of home. I add vibrancy to these simple subjects with texture, pattern, expressive gesture and my color choices. My abstract underpaintings peek through the final paint layers in varying degrees, imbuing a sense of energy, movement, and depth to otherwise still or quiet subjects. I feel a constant push and pull between the real and the abstract. The abstract elements compete and contrast with the quiet realism of my central subject, rendering more complex that which is simple. Henri Matisse purportedly once cautioned: "Never ruin a good painting with the truth." Embracing this wisdom, I do not concern myself with literalism, focusing instead on fresh application and spontaneous gesture to add new dimensions to the intimate scenes I depict. The "truth" in any of my paintings is limited only by one’s imagination.