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Artist Exhibitions:
2005 Art At The Classic, Draft
Horse Classic, Grass Valley,
California - Third Place,
Drawing
2005 Harness Tracks of
America, Elegant Equine Art
exhibition, Lexington,
Kentucky
2004 American Academy of
Equine Art Fall Juried Show,
Lexington, Kentucky
2004 NJEAA Art of The Horse,
Somerset Art Association,
Bedminster, New Jersey
2003 American ...
Further Information
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Artist Galleries:
Asher Gallery, Traverse City,
Michigan
Adams Madams, Central Lake,
Michigan...
Further Information
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Artist Reviews:
Coming Soon!
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Collections:
Coming Soon!
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Commissions:
Coming Soon!
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Artist Statement for Karen Baker Thumm
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Artist's Statement;
Although a specialist in equestrian art, I consider myself a fine artist first and an equine artist second. My art goes beyond horses to embrace the natural world and all its creatures. What is unique in my artwork is a strength of spirit that has survived childhood trauma and tragedy and triumphed over both. There is a sense of tranquility, energy and hope but nothing of despair and gloom.
“Why paint horses?” I’m often asked. “Why NOT paint horses?” is my reply. What makes them not an appropriate subject of Fine Art, after all? What better subject for artistic expression than one which embodies beauty, grace, power and nobility all in one? For me, they symbolize far more: escape, freedom, unconditional love and happiness. A difficult challenge to portray well, horses offer endless possibilities of expression and mood.
As a child I was fascinated with story telling and illustration, and that has carried over into my art. Every work tells a story through the manipulation of its elements: shapes, values, colors, textures, movement and mood. Every element is carefully thought out and placed to add to the story. In the painting, “Almost Home - Hunter Pace”, for instance, a horse and rider gallop toward the finish line in a hunter pace trial while competitors watch from a nearby hill. Both horse and rider are relaxed and enjoying their outing on a gorgeous autumn day.
Although my art is very realistic, the objective is not to create a painting that looks like a photograph but to create a scene the way the eye sees it. The brain edits out or blurs what is unimportant or secondary to the main subject, and that is how the artwork is constructed. The choice of medium is an important part of the whole; the luminosity of oils, the lusciousness of pastels or the form rendering softness of pencil. What results is more “real” than a photograph; it is a work of art embued with life and movement and mood, giving the feeling that one could step into the picture plane and become a part of it.
Career Biography
A native of Michigan, Karen Baker Thumm has been a working professional artist since 1984. Her formal art education includes studies in graphic design, illustration and in the Fine Arts as well as self study. She has studied with wildlife artists Rod Lawrence and Gijsbert Van Frankenhuysen and professional illustrator, Glenn Wolff.
Karen's primary media are oils, pastel and graphite pencil. Her style is primarily realistic with emphasis on accuracy and expression. Her artwork can be found in collections all over the United States and beyond.
An award winning artist, her work has been accepted into numerous national juried exhibitions. Among them are the Draft Horse Classic, Harness Tracks of America and the prestigious American Academy of Equine Art Fall Juried Exhibitions.
Her artwork has appeared in Equus, Equine Images, Equine Vision, Polo Players Edition, Paint Horse Journal, Hastfocus and Art Business News. She was the illustrator and cover artist for the book, "The Michigan Riding and Hiking Trail" and has contributed illustrations to several other publications.
A long time horse owner, she regularly attends horse events in Michigan and beyond. Currently, she is studying the art of Dressage with her horse, Scotty, and enjoys trail riding in the northern Michigan woods.
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