Early exposure influenced Valley artist

It can be tough making it to the top of the food chain in art, so starting early at age 12 with grandparents signing her up for an oil painting class was a great boost for Karen Whitworth, who lives in Wasilla.

She credits three expert instructors as major influences in her successful art career: Shane Lamb, Gail Moses and Douglas Girard, all with different approaches to creating art.

While working at Blaines Art Supply on the Parks Highway at age 17, Karen was surrounded by art and artists who inspired her. During this time, “I married my high school sweetheart at (age 19) and (was) working full-time, then having two kids … took quite a toll on my creative drive,” she explains.

“If you hope to support yourself, or your family, financially with your art, there is a lot more to being an artist than one might think,” she says.

While working at Shane Lamb Studios as an assistant, Karen personally observed successful business practices that prepared her for the plunge when in May 2009, “I took a leap of faith with my art,” she says.

She left her job and devoting her time entirely to her own work as an artist. “From the first day I was off, I was painting. I couldn’t stop!”

Next on the horizon, “I was commissioned to create an illustrative map of Palmer … for distribution (in the) summer of 2009 — updated and reprinted in 2010. It measured 32 inches by 40 inches and was quite the task. I created it in acrylic, pen and ink.” This assignment advanced her career through extensive public exposure.

Whitworth loves painting Alaska scenery on location, but also appreciates art-related travel opportunities. This year she was invited on a trip to Oregon to paint outdoors with other artists. The term used in the art world for such jaunts is “plein air painting.”

“I cannot begin to express the camaraderie that this group of artists exuded,” Karen says. “Seeing how other plein air artists work (and) how they approach their subject, was fascinating.”

She is making plans to attend the gathering again this year.

“I love chasing light,” she explains. “It is a recent fascination I have, seeing how it plays with whatever it touches. Painting ‘en plein air’ has helped me ‘see’ these things more vibrantly.”

Often combining flowers and birds, she expounds upon how birds “are like a comforting contradiction, that something so small, and seemingly vulnerable, cannot only survive, but thrive in this rugged environment.”

Being astute with computers and growing up with the Internet, Karen credits her upcoming Hawaiian solo show to her ability to do social networking.

“It all started with a casual Twitter conversation a little over a year ago,” she says. Now she has an upcoming exhibition titled “Birds of Paradise” at the East Hawaii Cultural Center in Hilo on the Big Island, (this) February.”

About Hawaii, she states, “It always amazes me how the temperature of the sun’s light shifts. Alaska, naturally, has a very cool light. Hawaii has very warm light. I try to reflect that in my paintings.”

Whitworth is part of a newly formed clandestine group called “Painted Ladies,” which is making its debut with an Art Luau on the Second Saturday at Pandemonium Booksellers and Café in Wasilla. The show will feature a preview of some of Karen’s Hawaiian art before it heads for Hilo.

“At our Art Luau on the eighth, we will have tropical art from most of the members, as well as a live video conference call from our Australian Painted Lady, Marie Green, to help kick off our first group show,” she says. “Being a part of the Painted Ladies has been an amazing experience and we’re just getting started! Challenging each other to (make) progress artistically has proven very fruitful.”

They have plans for teaching classes and offering workshops with visiting artists in the coming months.

Back on the home front, “Family plays a huge role in my art,” Whitworth said. “It’s not always easy juggling all my duties as a full-time mommy, wife and artist.” She shows her enthusiasm for her husband’s assistance. “Being a web developer full-time, he maintains my website and helps me with much of my online marketing strategy.”

She elaborates about how “being involved in social media allows (her) an added connection to those who collect and or appreciate (her) work. Adding this extra dimension provides more opportunity to reach, share with and educate people.”

When asked about tips for those starting out on the Internet, she says the difficulty is “getting a feel for what makes people intrigued or interested in your work. We live in a world where image and presentation is almost everything.”

She also says, “Find your voice, say it clear, but don’t yell; be positive, but not fake; be social. It’s called social media for a reason. For many people, Facebook may already be a part of their routine. Applying these methods to their art business will only take a little more time. Allow yourself a year to get the ropes of social media. It need not be a full-time job, or even a part-time job. Find an artist online whose marketing you admire and imitate it. No need to reinvent the wheel.”

When it comes to galleries and real life venues, “I will never discredit the importance of having a physical gallery presence,” she says.

Whether marketing online or through actual galleries, the food chain is more than about making a living. She concludes, “Making the art buying experience personal and genuine means a lot to me.”

And about the year ahead, she says, “I look forward to making more connections with my online audience, networking with fellow artists and pushing myself to create art more than ever. … I create, because I can’t keep myself from doing it.”

Suzanne Bach teaches art at Mat-Su College.