Karen was born in Toronto Ontario and graduated from York University. Her love of Art in its many forms began at an early age and was nurtured by the years she lived in Europe. She now lives in Grand Rapids Michigan but spends most of the summer in Sarnia, where her mother and sister live. In Karen’s words, “The beautiful sunsets, the wild vast waters and the sweeping shoreline, makes Sarnia a very special place.” Currently she is a member of the Sarnia Artists Workshop (SAW), and is on the Board of the Lawrence House Center for the Arts. She has contributed a mural to the Sarnia Organ Donors Association (SODA) Memory Garden at the Sarnia Hospital and worked with a fellow SAW member to complete a large wall mural for the Children’s room at The Sarnia Hospice.
Karen’s awards include:
The 2012 & 2016 Sarnia Artist Workshop Wolfe Awards.
The 2015 TADA Gallery Award in New Smyrna Beach Florida.
The 2016 Victoria Playhouse Petrolia juried show award for best oil.
The 2017 Sarnia Artists Workshop Erika Poersch Award.
Honourable Mention in the 2018 Floyd Gibson Juried Show
Artist Statement: Karen Schaw
“My paintings are my diary of the times I love, the scenes that inspire me, the colours that excite me. To look through the light to the shadow, to see but not to focus, to imagine and sense that other place, to try to capture but not reproduce; that is what I strive to do with my art. Painting keeps me focused and gives my world balance. I expect my work will continuously change, reflecting how I keep changing and imagining new possibilities.”