Karen Halt

I currently work in two mediums, acrylic paintings and textiles. The textiles use a variety of surface design techniques including dying, discharging, graphite, painting, printing, and embroidery. Occasionally the 3 dimensional textiles become subjects for the paintings. I am currently exploring textiles in box and architectural forms.

Gessoed panels and fabrics are the welcome mats for the varied cast of birds and animals found in my work. My mind invites them in from their natural settings of fields, trees, and water. They are gracious visitors who bring joy and dazzle me with their beauty, inspiring work and images that attempt to bridge the gap between what is natural and what is civilized. Their feathers and fur seek to soften the hard edges of our dwelling places and our fact filled lives.

A psychiatric nurse by profession, I began painting in 1968 with no formal art training. I have participated in more than 30 years of juried art exhibits including Milwaukee Art Museum Lakefront Show, Cherry Creek (Denver) and the Ann Arbor Michigan Show. I was represented by Portals Gallery in Chicago and participated with them in SOFA Chicago from 2004 to 2010.

Karen Halt was born in Cleveland Ohio in 1946. She currently resides in Mukwonago, Wisconsin

karenhaltstudio@gmail.com