What You Won't Find Here Expensive trading cards for rich Wall Street investors. Art created by a committee. Art created by a team of corporate artists. What You Will Find Here Art imagined and created by me; alone in the studio with my muses; connected to the tradition of painting. I build the frames. I stretch and prime the canvas. I draw from life; real and imagined. I lovingly paint each brushstroke in the manner of the Old Masters. I photograph the completed artwork. I write the copy. And I built this website. Please enjoy your visit. WHAT'S NEW! July 2010 Check out the new video on YouTube entered in the Guggenheim YouTube Biennial Competition. Artist Statement: Is Painting Dead? I am a painter, a dinosaur on the verge of extinction. I have never played a video game. I send 2 or 3 text messages a month. I do not have children so I will never have to wrestle with the fact that I spend 3.5 minutes a week engaged in meaningful conversation with my children. If I live to be 65, I will not have spent 9 years of my life watching television. And when I go to an art museum I spend more than 30 seconds viewing a painting. The central focus of my art is the symbiotic relationship between icons and culture. The unlikely alliance between the monolith Guggenheim Museum and the social networking goliath YouTube is a classic example of the ways in which icons and culture inform and transform one another. As electronic media continues to reshape our world will we no longer need art galleries? Will people choose to visit museums online rather than in person? Will this unlikely alliance lead to the demise of art museums? After all, there’s an app for that. Is Painting Dead? A Visual Automentary December 2009 Follow my RANTS & RAVES on Twitter! It's public so follow the link and bookmark the page. No need to open a Twitter account. Go to Twitter Become a friend on MySpace! Go to MySpace May 2009 Karen Joy Drumkit Art Featured in the May-June 2009 DRUM BUSINESS Magazine; A Division of MODERN DRUMMER Publications February 2009 ABOUT DRUM KIT ART: Press Release Karen Joy Introduces Drum Kit Art on Environmentally-Friendly Drum Wraps “Drum kit art began as an experiment in the exploration of alternative painting surfaces,” explains Karen Joy. “Audiences today are mature, sophisticated professionals and I realized the concert arena was the perfect venue to exhibit my art. Graphic artists have airbrushed drum wraps for decades however plastic is not a viable surface for fine art materials. As a life-long environmentalist I wanted to provide eco-conscious drummers with an alternative to toxic plastic drum wraps and art that would reflect their level of sophistication and achievement.” More about Drum Kit Art by Karen Joy MAIN GALLERY GUIDE Painting Gallery I The Resurrection of Christ Myth and Transformation: Adam and Eve The Expulsion of Ken and Barbie from the Garden of Eden Painting Gallery II Still Life with Weapons The Crucifixion of Mother Nature Read the Essay by Karen Joy "Our Endangered Species" Reclining Nude Painting Gallery III Self Portrait: Me & My Friends in the Studio Self Portrait: Visions Parallel Universes Drawing Gallery I Mystery Untitled Nude Murder Wild Horses Drawing Gallery II Untitled Undecided Empowered Liberty and Justice for None Drawing Gallery III Untitled Dreaming Untitled Untitled DRUM KIT ART GALLERY GUIDE Drum Kit Art Gallery 1 Muses I on Unfinished Drum Shells Drum Kit Art Gallery 2 Muses II on Eco-Friendly Drum Wraps Created by Karen Joy Drum Kit Art Gallery 3 Muses II Drum Wraps Before Drum Kit Application Drum Kit Art Gallery 4 Gothic Drum Kit Drum Kit Art Gallery 5 Gothic Paintings Drum Kit Art Gallery 6 Native American Drum Kit Drum Kit Art Gallery 7 Native American Paintings Drum Kit Art Gallery 8 Bird Drum Kit Drum Kit Art Gallery 9 Bird Paintings Drum Kit Art Gallery 10 Egyptian Drum Kit Drum Kit Art Gallery 11 Egyptian Paintings Drum Kit Art Gallery 12 Chinese Dragon Paintings Drum Kit Art Gallery 13 Abstract Paintings Drum Kit Art Gallery 14 Bat Paintings Drum Kit Art Gallery 15 Cave Paintings About Karen Joy BORN: Brooklyn, New York, 1952 RAISED: Washington, DC Metro Area CURRENTLY: Live/Work in Southern California MARITAL STATUS: Divorced, No Children SEXUAL ORIENTATION: "Hetero"sapian LIFESTYLE: Organic Vegan Environmental Pacifist Rocker GALLERY REPRESENTATION: Act on Own Behalf Contact Karen Joy ARTIST STATEMENT The Vision I did not choose to paint. Painting chose me. I was called to paint in a mystical vision. Although I had no experience as a painter the vision compelled me so I immediately answered the call. At the time I had a lucrative business as a freelance photographer. Life had other plans for me. Who can argue with the universe? Influences When Giorgio de Chirico and I first met he had been dead four years. We were introduced at the Museum of Modern Art, New York in 1982 during his retrospective. Mesmerized by his metaphysical landscapes de Chirico came to be my neighbor in the metaphysical community of mind. I realized I must paint. I have yet to meet Eric Fischl but I know we would have much in common. His voyeuristic pictures of suburban life riddled with sexual repression both disturbed and intrigued me. His choice of subject matter gave me the courage to put on canvas observations about society which I could only communicate through painting. Thesis MYTH & TRANSFORMATION: The Symbiotic Relationship between Culture and Its Myths, Archetypes, and Symbols My work examines and explores the archetypes, symbols, and icons of popular culture to reveal what I term the "collective neuroses" of our society. Neurotic individuals and by extension societies, are stuck in outmoded thought processes. Rather than grow in response to change they seek to control their environment. Science and technology has permanently altered how we as a society perceive ourselves. If God is random and the universe chaotic then the prevalent myths and symbols are meaningless and inadequate. Reliance on Christian symbolism and concepts denies the validity of alternate modes of being in the world. Barbie & Ken The failure of society to develop a meaningful masculine and feminine archetype results in abnormal behavior in regard to body image and sexual identity. Barbie and Ken as icons represent a meaningless and false ideal of perfection to which no one can relate but many aspire. Christianity Unlike many religions, Christianity bestows upon believers dominion over all living things. As the supreme ruler created in God's image we deplete the Earth to benefit ourselves without regard for future generations. Life has become another commodity in the consumerism mentality. The sanctity and meaning of life is gone. Conclusion I believe there is no single truth. We must each create our own truth and live that truth daily. Born with these paintings inside me, I am here to release them into the universe. Painting is my truth. EXHIBITIONS & AWARDS Envisioning the Future Project Judy Chicago and Donald Woodman, 2003 As one of 10 painters selected to participate I read the materials, attended the lecture series, and met with the other painters in the group. I subsequently decided not to participate. The Envisioning the Future pedagogy was to teach artists to research and execute political and socially responsible art. Political and social activism was inherent in my work since inception so I decided my time would be best spent devoted to my own art. Envisioning the Future Creative and Performing Arts Scholarship University of Maryland, 1987 I was forced to relinquish the honor due to the unexpected rape and murder of my sister-in-law two weeks before classes were scheduled to commence. UMD-CAPA Scholarship San Francisco Art Institute BFA Graduation Exhibition, 1992 SFAI George Mason University Student Exhibition, 1984 & 1985 George Mason University Neiman Marcus, Washington, D.C. Photographic Works on Display, 1979-1981 Neiman Marcus Marsten Rothenberg National Advertising Campaign Featured Photographic Series, 1979 KROQ, Photo on Album Back Cover,"Top Ten Bands of Washington, DC" 1979 Rock City News, Washington, DC-Band Photos Published 1979-1980 EDUCATION BFA, San Francisco Art Institute-1991 Graduate, Ray Vogue School of Photography, 1972 [ Site Map ] .