Karen Wysopal

PAINTER – CORVALLIS, OR

Karen Wysopal is a Boston native and self-taught painter living in Corvallis, Oregon. She works in various mediums, primarily in alcohol ink; a vibrant, fast-drying ink known to make stunning designs on non-porous surfaces. Concentrated and waterproof, alcohol ink is also semi-transparent and fluid, creating abstract effects rich in color and organic quality. Using tiny drops of ink, isopropyl alcohol, and an air source to move the inks around, the alcohol evaporates, and the ink quickly dries, producing unique designs not possible with other mediums. The process creates a “polished stone” result, most unusual in painting techniques. 

Karen’s paintings are born of “curiosity, experimentation, and the ongoing desire to try something new. A piece is complete for me when it speaks of something beyond the materials that make it up.” She creates art because, “connection to the world through color, pattern, and texture is grounding to me.”

Art began for Karen as a child, with her first set of markers, sketching the buildings around her and the pets she had at home. At age nine, Karen’s illustrated pet care guide, “Gerbils and Other Stories”, was published in Big Rock Candy Mountain, Fall 1971. She continued drawing and painting through high school, learning weaving, ceramics, photography, bookmaking, collage, and beading.  After college, she made and sold her own line of beaded jewelry.

Moving to Corvallis in 2011, she worked as a software developer with Hewlett-Packard for several years, before returning to art full-time. She began making greeting cards, using alcohol ink, known for its rich color and organic quality. After running her own greeting card business for many years, Karen is delighted to partner with Allport Editions to bring her eye-catching, vibrant, and impressive work to a wider audience. 

Karen has also recently introduced a line of fabric handbags, incorporating collaged fabrics, beading and embroidery. Her work has been exhibited in galleries in Oregon and California, has been licensed for book covers, and for a large-scale installation at a corporate campus in Silicon Valley.