Karen Mayer is from Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario among nature in all its glory.  Admittedly a great place to grow up in the 1970s she was profoundly affected by the beautiful Pre-Cambrian Shield rock and the grandeur of Lake Superior.  Karen had a passion for art from a very young age, and could while away hours sketching trees and the surrounding landscape and scenery.  She benefitted from great teachers and a casual non-programmed upbringing, during which there was plenty of time for youthful imaginings and creativity. 

With no formal art education other than basic studio courses in high school and McMaster University, she continued to paint sporadically while acquiring a Bachelors of Commerce degree, advancing her marketing career and raising a busy family in Oakville, Ontario, where she currently resides. Karen held various positions in sales and marketing roles. 

In 2010 Karen decided to take her art more seriously and respond formally to her need to create.  With the support of her husband and family she quit corporate life and created SavvyArt Market, an on-line art market, to promote her art and that of other Canadian artists.  Karen works in acrylic on canvas, as well as on solid wooden spheres, which once completed become Milestones, Hopestones and Tablestones.  Karen now works as a full-time artist and art agent.  You can find her work in Greater Toronto Area homes and on-line at savvyartmarket.com. 

Artist Statement

As I go about life, my eyes are drawn to patterns in nature and things that I see.  These elements and patterns catch my attention and strike me as interesting and worthy of closer examination.  I mentally record and photograph these patterns and incorporate them into compositions.  I am especially drawn to patterns in rock formations.  Each piece of my work begins with realistic elements and evolves into abstraction, possibly due to waning patience with repetition and a desire to incorporate movement and flow.  I work to reveal the power, strength and beauty of a subject from nature and every day life. The movement and flow in my work is meant to reveal the vitality of the subject and life in general.  I incorporate these elements into the Milestones and Hopestones as well, which feature an additional tactile dimension.  When viewers feel joy and experience the strength and beauty of the subject I feel a sense of accomplishment.