Karen Whitman

Bearsville, NY

   My studio is in Woodstock, New York, and my linocuts are inspired by New York City, in which I lived for eighteen years, and to which I have been closely connected all my life. My subjects explore the vibrant life of the city with its dense and diverse architecture. People interact with their complex environments to create a world and tell a story, as I weave their energetic elements with contrasting patterns and textures. The eye is led from one vignette to another, each telling its own tale of the urban experience. In so doing, I aim to portray the city as positive, accessible, and beautiful, even playful; and yet, inadvertently, I seem to convey a sense of mystery, making it a challenge to differentiate between whimsy and foreboding. The city is all of these things simultaneously, which is why it inspires me and is the primary subject of my work.