An ode to oneself and others, healing runs through us in times of quiet, motion, humor, expression. Connecting to each other, sharing similarities and differences in the experiences we take on or the pain we leave behind. Together we find ourselves.

Please email Gallery@makeshiftartspace.org for all sales inquiries

Karen Wallen
“We are all linked”
*Acrylic on canvas*
**16x20**
$450
2019

Karen Wallen
”Harmony”
*Acrylic on paper*
12x12
*SOLD*
2021

KAREN WALLEN Biographical Statement

About

As a working artist, I paint using various media, including Acrylic, Inks and Collage. I am very excited to present my work to you!

Employing many brilliant hues on Canvas, Paper and Wood, I create in abstract and figurative styles, often with humor or poetry, I explore the issues of daily life with humanity and care.

Working in my home studio, I'm inspired by the colorful hues of relationships between friends and lovers, along the labyrinthine paths of their lives.

Early Career

Literally from early childhood, Karen had pencils, crayons and paint, with pap, glue and scissors handy— (when she wasn’t out exploring in her family’s creek—or climbing trees…). Drew her family, horses, and her natural surroundings incessantly.

As a student and young adult, Karen studied Egypt and envisioned those Ancient eras. Later, during High School years, she hit her stride in Arlington, Virginia emerging herself in the Arts atmosphere of Washington, D.C., visiting the National Museums of History and Art weekly, falling in love with painting and sculpture! Finally, her major in Penn State University’s School of Art and Education, continued her longing to experiment on canvas, as well as in the

classrooms from Pre-School through High School, in Los Angeles, Seoul and Taegu, Korea, then, in Seattle and, finally, ending in Los Angeles, where she now resides. Her concentration, at this time, is Abstract Expressionism with Acrylics and Mixed Media.

Work Process

Donning her blue non-latex gloves, Karen spreads out floor (or porch) coverings throws out canvases or paper of all sorts, and a multitude of hues in acrylic paints!

She employs her hands, her brushes—and even sticks from her yard to apply her brilliant splashes! Then, as the layers solidify, the images of her figures emerge into clearer pictures of a scene in their lives. Often playful or thought provoking, her style is unique and very human.

www.artworkarchive.com/profile/karenkwallenart

@karenkwallenart

Karen Wallen
“Sail Away”
*Acrylic on canvas*
48x60
$3000
2018

XIN XIN
**“Don't Close Up the World”**
*Painting on paper*
24 x 19”
$1300

XIN XIN Artist statement: My works capture the healing experiences from personal and cultural traumas. I focus on the loss of identity, generational trauma, depression, and anxiety. In this midst of experiencing trauma, we continue to move forward. That is the beauty of human resilience and perseverance.
I want my art to be a peaceful healing space. I hope viewers can engage with it and realize, “I know that feeling and I am not alone!” Together, we are experiencing these special human emotions. In some ways, we are all looking for some comfort to feel ok.

Bio: Xin Xin is a visual artist who explores healing traumatic emotions through watercolor abstraction. Xin was born in Beijing, China, and emigrated to Washington with her family when she was twelve years old. Xin graduated from the University of Washington with B.A. in Communication and Sales. After 2 years of working in corporate, Xin decided to solo travel the world for four years. Art has been a consistent theme in Xin’s life since she was 3 years old. She continued to explore her artistic skills and pursued art as a way of self-healing.

artxinxin.com/

@artxinxin_

Karen Wallen
“Family in Red”
*Acrylic on canvas*
**14x14**
$275
2020

XIN XIN
**“Unpredictable Life”**
*Painting on paper*
24 x 19”
$1300

XIN XIN
**“Ever-Changing”**
*Painting on premium watercolor paper*
10x 8"
$250

XIN XIN
“Faded Homes”
*Painting on paper*
24 x 19
$1300

Karen Wallen
“Multiple Personalities”
*Acrylic on canvas*
**18x24**
$600
2019

Karen Wallen
**”Ain’t Life Grand”**
*Acrylic on canvas*
16x30
$450
2019

Katie Sherman
**“Mulch”**
Acrylic on Canvas
24X30”
2021
$1100

Sarah Lane
**“THYROID, MOTHERWORT, SIBERIAN GINSENG, LICORICE”**
9X12”
*Mixed media on watercolor paper, mounted on birch panel, wax medium*
$150

Katie Sherman
**“Our Lady of Property Taxes”**
*Acrylic on canvas*
16x20”
2021
$600

XIN XIN
**”Taking Up Space”**
*Painting on premium watercolor paper*
12 x 9"
$350

Sarah Lane
**“KIDNEYS, TURMERIC, DANDELION, BEANS”**
9X12”
*Mixed media on watercolor paper, mounted on birch panel, wax medium*
$150

SARAH LANE Artist Statement: As an artist, I follow the call to honor and illuminate life through art. Whether creating portraits, painting landscapes or rendering anatomical-botanicals in mixed media, I offer gratitude for life and the natural world all around me. I grew up in Cleveland, Ohio in a family of artists, and I spent most of my childhood either outdoors, building relationships with plants and animals, or indoors, drawing worlds on mat board beneath my father’s large printing press. Always an idealist, my first goal in life was to “save the world.” I went to West Point and studied English and engineering (and drew in the margins of my textbooks). Through many careers, self-expressions and life changes, I concluded that perhaps the best way to “save the world” was by bringing beauty into it. I live in Bellingham with my husband, children, dog and chickens. We love the PNW, where our yard has become a garden, and the world has become a studio. I live in vibrant color and seek to share the beauty of this world and all of its creatures, great and small, through art.

(All pieces are protected by Dorland’s wax medium and are water resistant.)

https://www.sarahlaneart.com/

@sarahsartlife

Sarah Lane
**“UTERUS, OVARIES, LUNA MOTH, PERSIMMONS, RED CLOVER.”**
9X12”
*Mixed media on watercolor paper, mounted on birch panel, wax medium*
$150

Katie Sherman
**“Free Gift”**
*Mixed media on canvas*
24x20”
2021
$850

KATIE SHERMAN Artist Statement:

This series was painted as I was processing my father’s long time battle with cancer and his eventual passing. I watched my dad use humor as his strength left him, laughing at the silliness of life. Being faced so directly with death, I obsessed with my own value and contribution on earth. I painted these to memorialize my dad, my previous selves and move forward in my life. I will often use religious themes to highlight the sinner/savior or madonna/whore juxtaposition that many women grapple with. I don't take myself or my work too seriously. These works are meant to be about rebirth, reflection and growth, while throwing a wink and poke at death.

Bio:

I grew up in the woods of Alaska, learning under my printmaker mother as I experimented with mediums and subject matter. As I developed my skill and foothold, I found focus in recreating emotional human moments with acrylic paint, canvas and a sense of humor. Pop art, religious iconography, and gender roles are consistent themes across my work. Recently I was commissioned to create a label for the upcoming release of a beer for the art and music venue, The Bobby Motel, in Nashville, Tennessee and was a featured artist of the week on the Teaching Artist Podcast. I feel that choosing a patently uncreative, safe career path has allowed the need to paint and create simmer inside me, continuing my growth through art.

@poorguapo

WE ARE ALL LINKED

An ode to oneself and others, healing runs through us in times of quiet, motion, humor, expression. Connecting to each other, sharing similarities and differences in the experiences we take on or the pain we leave behind. Together we find ourselves.

Make.Shift Art Space