Karen Lucchesi Berman
Abstract
and
Expressive Floral
Artist
Meet Karen
A California North Coast resident for 50 years, Karen is an abstract and expressive nature artist. Karen was born in Berkeley, California and raised in Santa Rosa and Eureka, California. After a family move to Eureka, Karen obtained degrees in journalism and public relations at the then Humboldt State University. She worked at HSU for 17 years for CenterArts, a nationally known presenting arts organization. This experience resulted in her growing appreciation of dance, theatre and music.
Karen next moved on to fundraising and publications for a PBS station and a community foundation. During those years she combined work, being the mother of two children and taking art classes at the local community college and HSU. She later traveled to workshops led by esteemed artists across the country.
She enjoyed many successful years as a professional watercolor artist, showing her large, nature based paintings at galleries, museums and one woman exhibitions.
After 30 years of watercolor painting her work is in many private homes and businesses across the country, including health organizations which have purchased over 60 of her paintings.
During the Covid years, looking for another challenge, she decided to change from watercolors to abstract mixed media art. Karen took a number of online workshops from wonderful international artists who expanded her love of painting to another dimension, more intuitive and introspective.
Living in one of the most beautiful places on earth, the California North Coast, allows her to draw inspiration from the natural world and from her internal landscape. With Karen's external guide of redwoods trees, the Pacific Ocean, mountains and her internal guide of expressing love and appreciation for this beauty, she is deeply motivated to share her world.
Karen's husband, Ron, is a retired anesthesiologist, and together they enjoy traveling, tennis and their six grandchildren who live nearby.
Artist's Statement
After 30 wonderful years of watercolor painting landscape and floral paintings and finding much joy and satisfaction in creating and sharing my work, I took a leap into a whole different, exciting art form...mixed media abstract painting. I took many of my watercolor skills ...color mixing, design and composition with me and in the process discovered an entire new language and that has proven to be an exciting voyage. I give a thanks to my wonderful workshop teachers and mentors Julie Schumer and Cat Tesla for their guidance.
I paint intuitively, without a roadmap as I begin. I choose a palette that intrigues me and excites me with the possibilities. I choose different tools to use, from palette knives, acrylic paint, marking pens, pencils, and pastels I let go of control and let the painting and my intuition guide me.
Then...there is a time in the life of the painting I must evaluate...composition, form, color, line, texture, pattern and process. Abstract art is an exploration of these qualities to create a visual, visceral, cerebral or emotional experience.
Abstract painting is my own language. For me, art is an experience. Words are useless to explain an abstract art creation...and not try to pinpoint an exact meaning to an image. It is a personal experience for both the viewer and artist.
I have painted large watercolor flowers for 30 years and with this new journey, I find I cannot leave the beauty and loveliness of creating florals. I have journeyed into a new arena exploring mixed media and expressive florals. Rather than a more exact rendition of flowers I am loving the loose brushstrokes, vibrant color mixing and layers to create vibrant, energetic paintings of flowers. My goal is to convey a feeling or emotion, rather than creating a realistic depiction.
Abstract painting is abstract. It confronts you. There was a reviewer a while back who wrote that my pictures didn't have any beginning or any end. He didn't mean it as a compliment, but it was." Jackson Pollock
"I found I could say things with color and shapes that I couldn't say any other ways...things I had no words for."
Georgia O'Keeffe
CVC
Born: 1951 Berkeley, CA
Residence: Bayside, California
Education: BA in Journalism and Public Relations Humboldt State University (now Cal Poly Humboldt)
Additional Studies:
Art classes at College of the Redwoods and Humboldt State University
Workshops with: Bergit O'Connor, Mira M. White, Charles Reid on line workshops with Cat Tesla, Julie Schumer, and Betty Franks
Selected Exhibition History
Group Shows
2007--California Watercolor Association National Annual Show, San Francsico CA
2011-2013 Morris Graves Museum Gallery, Eureka, CA
2014- Rhododendraon Exhibit, Eureka CA
2016-Humboldt County Airport, Mckinleyville, CA
2017-Strawberry Rock Gallery, Trinidad, CA
Solo Exhibitions
2005-First Street Gallery, Eureka, CA
2007 Humboldt Area Foundation, Bayside, CA
Plaza Design, Arcata, CA
2010 Garden Gate, Arcata, CA
2010 Sewell Gallery "Up Close and Far Away"
2014, 2015, 2016 Ramone's Gallery, Eureka CA
Collections
62 pieces, Open Door Clinic of the North Coast
Publications
Feature article in North Coast Journal
Feature article in North Coast Open Studios Brochure
Repeated feature articles in Eureka Times Standard
Recent Juried Exhibitions
Morris Graves Museum of Art Annual Members Exhibition
2022, 2023, 2024
Redwood Arts Association Exhibitions
2025 Two Honorable Mentions