Karen Kinser was born in Long Beach, NY, 1951.
Raised and educated in south Florida,
she received a Bachelor of Design,
University of Florida, Gainesville, 1974.
Ms. Kinser worked in the field of graphic design
before returning to her first love . . .
the fine arts of painting and drawing.

Karen Kinser now resides in rural Chesapeake,
Virginia with her husband, their two children,
Sofie the French Bulldog, two Jack Russell Terriers,
and a Chihuahua named Ozzie.
Kinser maintains a studio in her home,
and one at the Monticello Arcade, in nearby Norfolk.
The "Studios at Monticello" space serves as a
working studio as well as a gallery space -
open to the public.

Ms. Kinser exhibits her work regionally and
nationally, in gallery and museum exhibitions,
as well as juried outdoor exhibitions.
Her expressive figurative work has won
prestigious awards in all venues.


I am not, by nature, a quiet person . . .
any of my friends and family will attest to that!
However, as the world around us gets
busier and busier, I find myself seeking
places of solitude and stillness in my art.
The subjects of the works are introspective.
I like to think that each has a secret.
And we become voyeurs . . .
watching, absorbing, and identifying with
the humanity of “their” moment.

In contrast, my painting style, with its
frenetic brushwork and unharnessed color,
betrays our ever-present, over-stimulating,
invasive culture.

I enjoy this little irony . . .
and become creator, subject and viewer
during the process of painting each piece.

In the end, I take limited credit for these pieces.
They each have a life and spirit of their own.
And it is extremely satisfying to be a participant
as each painting works its way into existence.

- Karen Kinser

“I am decidedly not
a landscape painter.
When I make landscapes
there will always be
something of
the figure in them.”

-Vincent to Theo
the Hague,
April 1882