Artist Profile: Karen Skinner

Karen Skinner

1112 NE 115TH STREET
KANSAS CITY, MO 64155

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Bio:

Sur/Real Landscape Photographer I was born in Columbia, Missouri, in 1962. My first exposure to photography was through my maternal grandmother and mother. My grandmother, Olive Moses, owned a photography studio in Independence, Missouri from the early 1950s through the early 1970s where she did portrait work including hand tinting. My mother, Merilee Elliott, maintained a dark room in the home and captured family life with a keen eye. Both women exhibit the importance of telling a story in their work whether that be through color or subject matter emphasis. Photography remained an important part of my life as a documentary process. I went on to pursue an equal passion for Mathematics and worked as a teacher for 34 years retiring in 2018. Around 2009 my approach to photography shifted. I experienced a wave of grief that caused me to view the world and my passions differently. I decided to pursue photography more diligently and with a renewed focus. My work displays nature in all its forms from backyard creatures to faraway planets with a nod to the interconnectedness of all life. I also uses macrophotography to trick the eye and cause the viewer to see something common in a new way. Since 2013 I have displayed my work in several local art shows including Overland Park Fall Festival, Liberty Arts Squared, and Parkville Days. I have also displayed my work in both the Jones Gallery and the Paper Birch Landing Gallery. I currently live in Kansas City, Missouri, but work wherever my next adventure takes me. The next planned adventure is in August 2019 to southern India.