About

Karen Goetzinger is an abstract painter, born and raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, who lived in Minnesota, New York, and Ottawa, Ontario and has recently returned to her roots in Milwaukee.

Through the use of mixed media such as acrylic, ink, graphite and oil pastel, she expressively marks the imprint of time and place on individual memory. There is a fierceness about her brushwork— an agitation and determination and yet her paintings are often described as beautiful, uplifting and filled with life and energy. Colors and strokes with forward movement push off the edge of the canvases as if there were not enough space to contain all that life. 

She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Fashion Design with an emphasis in Fine Arts from Mount Mary University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Her work is exhibited by public and commercial galleries throughout North America, in cities such as Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, and New York. It has been shown in exhibition spaces in China and Australia and hangs in private and corporate collections internationally.

Recent recognition for her work includes grants funded by the the Canada Council for the Arts, the Ontario Arts Council, the ARTicipate Endowment Fund and the Shenkman Arts Centre in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

Karen has taught at the Ottawa School of Art and by invitation in Australia and New Zealand. She was appointed to the Ottawa Arts, Culture, and Heritage Investment Program Steering Committee and was unanimously elected to the Arts Network Ottawa Board of Directors, serving two consecutive three year terms.