Karen Calhoun, the Galveston Art League’s Featured Artist for August, mainly adheres to a realistic style in her paintings – in fact, her art has been described as “photography in oils.” But occasionally she veers into surrealism.
Roughly a dozen of her varied paintings – from landscapes to still lifes – will be exhibited in the Galveston Art League Gallery, 2117A Postoffice St., through August 29. Gallery hours are noon to 6:00pm Fridays through Sundays and until 9:00pm. for ArtWalk on August 28. About 100 works by other league members comprise the remainder of the August show.
Works in the show – along with pieces from past Galveston Art League exhibits – will also be offered for sale at www.GalvestonArtLeague.com. Shoppers can buy artworks directly off the website with credit cards, or to arrange a purchase using another method of payment, they can email gallery2117@gmail.com.
Calhoun fell in love with art as a youngster and didn’t waver as an adult. “I knew from age 5 that I wanted to be an artist,” she says. She holds bachelor’s degrees in art in architecture, studio art and art history, all from the University of Pittsburgh. She primarily paints in oil, but also works in acrylic, alcohol inks and drawing. Calhoun’s work depicts an array of subjects, with the artist inspired by nature, including her three cats, as well as by architecture and the reflections of light upon glass.
She has displayed her art in invited shows around the area and was published in Southwest Art and American Art Collector. Calhoun has received many awards from Galveston Art League, National Society of Artists and Texas City Art Festival competitions. In addition, she is an accomplished judge of art contests, having done so for the Texas City Art Festival, the Texas City Art Festival Children’s Division and College of the Mainland competitions.
Calhoun resides in League City. She is a Pennsylvania native, but she and her husband, Doc, have resided in Texas for 15 years. She has a son and daughter-in-law and a baby granddaughter. To view more of her paintings, check out her portfolio on www.kjcalhounsart.com.
As a prerequisite to being a Galveston Art League Featured Artist, Calhoun holds a professional membership in the 107-year-old organization. The nonprofit Art League, an all-volunteer group that has never had a salaried staff member, relies on membership fees, modest sales commissions and an annual fundraiser gala to help finance its activities on behalf of visual arts and art education within the greater Galveston County area. The Art League holds low-cost workshops (open to the public) for children and adults, preview parties for the 12 gallery exhibits it hosts each year, and participation in ArtWalks; it also does marketing and advertising in support of regional artists. To find more information about the Galveston Art League such as membership opportunities and a schedule of workshops, check out www.GalvestonArtLeague.com or email gallery2117@gmail.com.
