Karolyn Alexander

medium: painting

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Fresh Produce 2009 Painting	Fresh Produce #2 2009 Painting	Onions Only 2009 Painting
Hollyhocks in Pink 2008 Painting	Sunflower Quartet 2007 Painting	Lily of the Valley Sketch 2008 Painting
Poppy Study 2007 Painting

Contact information
Artist resides in: Whitewater, WI
Email Address: karolynalexander@att.net
Web site: www.karolyn.biz

Artist statement
Painting in watercolor is exciting! I love to watch the color move and mix on the paper in a wet into wet application. I enjoy watching a color change as another is glazed over it. I like the challenge and yes, I even enjoy the problem solving that is required to bring a painting to completion.

My favorite surfaces to work on are: Arches 140 lb. cold press, Yupo, and Arches 140 lb. hot press paper. Recently I have enjoyed using black gesso applied with a stick to add an interesting linear element. Other times I will apply white gesso or collage oriental papers such as Unryu or Masa over the watercolor paper to create an irregular surface to paint on. Creating unusual textures can help to express movement and direction. The experimental options available with watercolor continue to intrigue me. I delight in taking a playful approach to using traditional materials in non-traditional ways.

As I paint, I strive to express my excitement for a subject and will give up a realistic rendering in favor of more vibrant color, loose interpretive brushstrokes or a more interesting design. I often start a painting without any type of reference and draw upon a memory or an emotion from within. I am drawn to and inspired by vibrant color. My subject matter is as varied as the techniques that can be used with watercolors.

Biography
I exhibit regularly as a member of the Janesville Art League, the Wisconsin Visual Artists (SE Chapter), the Artisan Co-op in Janesville and the Whitewater Visionary Artists. My miniature watercolor paintings have been accepted for the past three years at the Paint Box Gallery in Door County. The Francis Hardy Center for the Arts (Annual Juried Show) and the Peninsula Art School (Winter Open Salon), also in Door County have displayed my paintings for the past three years. Beginning in December 2009, I will be represented by the Triangle Guild Gallery in Whitewater and in June 2010, I will have a solo show at the Frehner Gallery of the Monroe Art Center in Monroe, Wisconsin. In December 2007, I was awarded the Viewer’s Choice Award for “Poppy Patch VIII” at the Whitewater Cultural Arts Center Grand Opening. The painting was made into a poster for fund raising efforts.