Karen Leback
Winlock, WA
Artist Statement:
Ever since I can remember, I have been fascinated by the use of colors, paint, drawing, you name it and I was hooked. Just watching someone painting or drawing was mesmerizing. I was always drawing something (mostly horses). It wasn’t until high school art classes that I started doing more with watercolor and oil paints. Right out of high school, I spent one year at the Portland Museum Art School and the difference in my style and approach from when I went in and when I finished set me on the way I look at art still to this day.
Now when I look at subjects to paint I will see shapes, edges, line and composition. I am often caught staring at someone (which is considered rude, I guess) but I’m just trying to figure out how I would put all their shapes together and paint them! My goal is to stay open-minded and learn from my mistakes, which are really only learning opportunities (of which I have many). One instructor said you will paint acres and acres of paper! So my personal goal is to keep improving the quality of line and have interesting brush strokes and edges to make the subjects more interesting and captivating to the eye.
I have taken many workshops over the years and all the good instructors would focus on good composition (a must, as without it you don’t have a good piece of art). Don’t’ be afraid to experiment and to know your medium
