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About Karen

Baltimore City
Karen Warshal earned her MFA at Tufts University in conjunction with the Boston Museum School and her B.A at the University of Pennsylvania. Her interest and training in classical art began in 1988 when she studied at the Parker School of Structural Sculpture in Bethesda. She then spent several years in museums in Italy, Denmark and Hungary copying after the antique. In 1995, she came to Baltimore where she studied at the Schuler School of Fine Arts. Ms. Warshal teaches "Portrait Drawing" and "… more
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Portraits

Portraiture

I spent many years only drawing and doing sculpture in preparation for painting portraits. Here I have included five drawings and five paintings. All portraits were done from life in my studio, and all of the paintings were done with natural light. Portraiture is perhaps my favorite subject. There's nothing like watching a person's personality unfold on his or her face as you paint them. I've been teaching portraiture for years, and I always tell my students to watch for the small movements that lend expression to the sitter. If a snapshot captures a moment in time, the artist working from life has the opportunity to observe and document the inner person as it manifests itself over time.
  • Rick
    Rick
    Charcoal on paper, 20 X 27"
  • Pamela
    Pamela
    Oil on linen 16" X 20" 2007
  • John
    John
    Oil on panel 9" X 10" 2004
  • Christopher
    Christopher
    oil on linen, 12" X 16"
  • Ed Reading
    Ed Reading
    Oil on linen 16" X 20" 2008
  • Megan
    Megan
    Charcoal on handmade paper 15" X 17"
  • George
    George
    Charcoal on handmade paper 18" X 24" This is a portrait of my friend George, who sadly died last year at the age of 40. George was kind, creative, funny and one of the most unusual people I've ever known. He had the talent of making each person who knew him feel that they were special when he was with them. For his memorial, Sasha's restaurant closed on a Sunday and hosted a moving afternoon dedicated to George. The place was packed with people, all of whom were George's friends. I did this drawing several years ago, when George was living on the second floor of a Bolton Hill house and I was living on the first floor. The casual quality of the portrait is so George. The minute you met him, you felt you'd always known him. This is the only portrait I've ever done that has a bare foot in it.
  • Mike
    Mike
    Charcoal on handmade paper 16" X 20"
  • Andrew
    Andrew
    oil on linen, 18" X 24" 2010 This a portrait of my nephew Andrew who sat for me with great discipline. His bar mitzvah portion dealt with many episodes from the life of Abraham. The background is a copy of a detail of Peter Paul Ruben's "The Meeting of Abraham and Melchizedek" at the National Gallery of Art.
  • Conner
    Conner
    Charcoal on handmade paper, 16" X 20"
    •

    • More Still Lifes

    More still lifes....
    • Orange Beets
      Orange Beets
      oil on linen, 16" x 24", 2011
    • Lemons with White Cloth
      Lemons with White Cloth
      oil on linen, 12" X 14"
    • White Cup with Radishes
      White Cup with Radishes
      oil on panel, 8" x 12", 2011
    • All Alone
      All Alone
      oil on linen, 12" X 16"
    • L'abbondanza
      L'abbondanza
      oil on linen, 18" x 24", 2011
    • Unwrapped Fish
      Unwrapped Fish
      oil on panel, 12" X 16"
    • Pommodori e Broccoli
      Pommodori e Broccoli
      oil on panel, 12" X 16"
    • Standing Asparagus
      Standing Asparagus
      oil on linen, 9" X 13"
    • A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
      A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
      Oil on linen, 16" X 20" 2009 I wanted to try something different than a traditional still life, so I borrowed a bunch of little statues from my friend Rick and created this scene. I love how the figures are together but don't really interact, and I love everything about antiquity. Can you tell who the central figure is supposed to be?
    • Daffodils
      Daffodils
      Oil on panel, 9" X 12"
    •

    • 2012

    A picture is worth a thousand words.
    • Noah
      Noah
      graphite with sanguine and white on toned paper, 2015
    • Madi with White Roses
      Madi with White Roses
      Oil on linen, 18" X 24"
    • Alexandra
      Alexandra
      oil on panel. 16" X 20", 2015
    • Girl with an Orange Scarf
      Girl with an Orange Scarf
      Oil on linen, 18" X 24"
    • Latrice (in progress)
      Latrice (in progress)
      oil on linen, 14" X 14", 2015
    • 19-8.jpg
      19-8.jpg
    • The Queen of Sheba: Seeking Wisdom
      The Queen of Sheba: Seeking Wisdom
      Oil on Linen, 16" X 24" 2009 The Queen of Sheba visits Solomon because he's renowned for his wisdom as a judge. In this painting, the queen is looking at Solomon, symbolized by the balance in the mirror behind her. The basket with the white cloth is the basket of gifts she bears. The lions are attributes of royalty.
    • Shirley
      Shirley
      graphite with sanguine and white on toned paper, 18" x 24", 2015
    • Wayne
      Wayne
      graphite with sanguine and white on toned paper, 18" x 24", 2014
    • Ryan
      Ryan
      oil on linen, 16" X 20"
    •

    • still lifes

    still lif paintings
    • flowers
      flowers
      oil on linen, 8" X 10"
    • Three Lemons with White Cup
      Three Lemons with White Cup
      oil on linen, 12" X 16"
    • Perch
      Perch
      oil on linen,12" X 12", 2015
    • Pommodori e Broccoli
      Pommodori e Broccoli
      oil on panel, 12" X 16"
    • Oranges and White Radishes
      Oranges and White Radishes
      oil on panel, 16" X 16"
    • Lemons and Eggs
      Lemons and Eggs
      oil on linen, 12" X 16", 2015
    • Cauliflower on a pedestal
      Cauliflower on a pedestal
      oil on panel, 14" X 14", 2015
    • Peppers and onion
      Peppers and onion
      oil on linen, 16" x 16', 2015
    • Lemon and Eggs with Mattia de Pretis
      Lemon and Eggs with Mattia de Pretis
      oil on panel, 8" X 10"
    • All Alone
      All Alone
      oil on linen, 12" X 16"
    •

    • portraits, 2014-2015

    Painting portraits is absolutely my favorite thing to do. There's nothing quite like the experience of capturing a person's personality as it reveals itself over time before my eyes in the studio.

    I always work from life. For paintings, I usually meet with the model for a series of about five or six sessions. Drawings are much quicker.
    • Mason
      Mason
      graphite with sanguine and white on toned paper, 2015
    • Shirley
      Shirley
      graphite with sanguine and white on toned paper, 18" x 24", 2015
    • Wayne
      Wayne
      graphite with sanguine and white on toned paper, 18" x 24", 2014
    • elder-panera.jpg
      elder-panera.jpg
    • elder-christainson.jpg
      elder-christainson.jpg
    • Jenna
      Jenna
      graphite, sanguine heightened with white on toned paper, 2014
    • Paul
      Paul
      oil on panel, 16" X 20" sketch
    • 8x9-300dpi-final-warshal-woman-w-daisy-crop-005.jpg
      8x9-300dpi-final-warshal-woman-w-daisy-crop-005.jpg
    • Ryan
      Ryan
      oil on linen, 16" X 20"
    • 8x8-300dpi-final-warshal-woman-look-up-crop-001.jpg
      8x8-300dpi-final-warshal-woman-look-up-crop-001.jpg
    •

    • Landscape and Interiors

    Landscape and interiors
    • Fulton Theater
      Fulton Theater
      oil on prepared paper, 10" x 11", 2015
    • Clifton Mansion
      Clifton Mansion
      oil on prepared paper, 11" X 18", 2015 This is one of the oldest buildings in Baltimore. The second owner was Johns Hopkins (the man, not the school) and he transformed it into the Italianate mansion you see here. The most amazing thing I saw when painting it was the orange light that appeared in the portico at the end of the day.
    • My Living Room
      My Living Room
      oil on linen, 18" x 24"
    • Inside Brown Memorial
      Inside Brown Memorial
      oil on linen, 18" X 24", 2015
    •

    • still lifes, 2014-2015

    Ever since I attended the Schuler School almost 20 years ago, I've dreamt of having a north facing artist's skylight in my studio. This past year that dream came to fruition! All of the still lifes in this series have been done since April 2014 when I was finally able to paint under my new skylight.
    • Another Cauliflower
      Another Cauliflower
      oil on linen, 16" X 16"
    • Three Quinces
      Three Quinces
      oil on linen
    • Clementines
      Clementines
      oil on linen
    • White cloth with lionos
      White cloth with lionos
      oil on linen, 18" X 24"
    • Fragole e Pepperoncini Gialli
      Fragole e Pepperoncini Gialli
      oil on panel, 5" X 7"
    • Unwrapped Fish
      Unwrapped Fish
      oil on panel, 12" X 16"
    • Oranges with Cauliflower
      Oranges with Cauliflower
      oil on panel, 14" X 14"
    • Standing Asparagus
      Standing Asparagus
      oil on linen, 9" X 13"
    • Basket with Tomatoes
      Basket with Tomatoes
      oil on panel, 18" X 18"
    • White
      White
      oil on panel, 10" X 10" When I renovated my studio in 2013, I painted my studio walls a greenish gray that is both beautiful and elusive. I loved observing its effects on the white and transparent surfaces in this set-up.
    •

    • New work, 2017-2018

    For the last few years I've been painting figures in interior spaces.  Sometimes specific, other times ambiguous, each piece tells a little story. 

    I start by having a model in my studio and often other artists come to work with me.  We experiment with different poses and setups until we arrive at the magic combination.  I've been lucky to have wonderful models!  If you notice, Luz is featured in most of these paintings.  She's an award-winning actress who also, fortunately for me, loves to pose for artists.  The model in "Seeking Wisdom" is my husband who posed patiently for many hours for that painting.  

    One of my favorite things in the whole world is to work in the studio with fellow artists and a great model!
    • WhatAPleasantSurprise
      WhatAPleasantSurprise
      oil on linen, 16" x 20", 2018
    • Seeking Wisdom
      Seeking Wisdom
      oil on linen, 18" x 24", 2017
    • The Plea
      The Plea
      oil on linen, 16"x16", 2017
    • The Yellow Dress
      The Yellow Dress
      oil on linen, 18"x24", 2017
    • Reflection
      Reflection
      oil on linen, 20" x 24", 2018
    • The Letter
      The Letter
      oil on linen, 18"x24", 2017
    • Salome's Dream
      Salome's Dream
      oil on linen, 18"x24", 2017
    • The Chess Player
      The Chess Player
      oil on linen, 18"x 24", 2017
    •

    • Still Lifes

    Still lifes are a wonderful subject, little worlds unto themselves!
    • White
      White
      oil on panel, 10" X 10" When I renovated my studio in 2013, I painted my studio walls a greenish gray that is both beautiful and elusive. I loved observing its effects on the white and transparent surfaces in this set-up.
    • Oranges and White Radishes
      Oranges and White Radishes
      oil on panel, 16" X 16"
    • Three Quinces
      Three Quinces
      oil on linen
    • Oranges with Cauliflower
      Oranges with Cauliflower
      oil on panel, 14" X 14"
    • Cauliflower in a Basket
      Cauliflower in a Basket
      Oil on panel, 16" X 16"
    • Oranges and Eggs
      Oranges and Eggs
      Oil on panel, 12" X 18"
    • Basket with Tomatoes
      Basket with Tomatoes
      oil on panel, 18" X 18"
    • Clementines
      Clementines
      oil on panel
    • Untitled (with cauliflower)
      Untitled (with cauliflower)
      oil on linen, 16" x 20"
    • Lemon and Eggs with Mattia de Pretis
      Lemon and Eggs with Mattia de Pretis
      oil on panel, 8" X 10"
    •