the Artist

When I was about three years old, I sat at my grandmother's kitchen table and drew a flower with Crayola markers. My aunt casually commented that it was really good, and my mother said "Yes, Karyn's always been good at drawing." I wasn't. No three year old is, really. But I believed it. Those tiny words of encouragement burrowed their way into me and made me really, really believe that I had something special, and that if I kept working, I could be a real artist someday, and share my work with the world.

Drawing has always been a passion of mine, but I pursued other loves, becoming a classically trained operatic contralto and composer. After 7 years of conservatory study, worsening disability forced me to make drastic changes in my life. Though visual art had taken a backseat during my time in school, I filled sketchbook after sketchbook with full illustrations focusing on trauma, disability, chronic pain, and showing the beauty of bodies frequently othered by society. Through my use of horror imagery, I hope to reframe common interpretations of the unseen body.