We’re looking forward to introducing you to Karen Watson. Check out our conversation below.
Good morning Karen, it’s such a great way to kick off the day – I think our readers will love hearing your stories, experiences and about how you think about life and work. Let’s jump right in? What’s more important to you—intelligence, energy, or integrity?
Of “intelligence, energy, or integrity” integrity is the most important to me. The values of integrity include honesty, trust, fairness, respect and responsibility.
In these current times, when chaos, cruelty, and counter claims of what is truth abound in our national and global communities, the importance of integrity is paramount, supreme.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I have been a working artist for over forty years. My body of work includes photography, collage, mixed media assemblages, drawing and writing, particularly haiku which I pair with my fine art photography.
In addition to being a fine art artist, for decades I have been an editorial illustrator, which is a form of visual journalism. My art often tells a story, adding depth, emotion, nuance, and interpretation to a written narrative or poem. My intention in creating this art is to get to the essence of a subject using visual metaphors.
My clients have included The New York Times, The Atlantic, The Boston Globe, The Washington Post, Harvard University, MIT, Boston University, Brown University, The Huntington Theatre Company of Boston, GBH, NBC, in addition to many other publications, corporations, and institutions.
I am a member of a variety of Art Associations and groups, including The National Association of Women Artists, The Rockport Art Association & Museum, Rocky Neck Art Colony, Concord Art Association, Cambridge Art Association, The New England Experimental Art Group, and Studio 7 of Lexington, MA. I exhibit in many juried, national and invitational shows. My work is in private and institutional collections. I also accept private commissions.
The past year has been an exciting one for exhibiting my work. I have had a solo SHOW GRATITUDE at the Rockport Art Association and Museum, a special exhibit “In Life” at the Decouvert Gallery in Rockport, MA, a solo show at the Unitarian Universalist Society of Rockport, and was part of a Collage Extravaganza Exhibit at the COSMOS Gallery in Gloucester MA, which featured a retrospective of my editorial work.
I am humbled and inspired by the beauty, power, and mystery of nature, including human nature. My work is mindful of the moment, and appreciate of life and the passing of time. I seek beauty and truth of all sorts, and I strive to cultivate a life of gratitude and wonder. In my art and in my life, it is of utmost importance to me to speak up and out for justice and kindness.
I live and work in Rockport, Massachusetts with my husband, Peter Holton, a retired nuclear physicist and artisan woodworker. We are presently collaborating on multiple projects, including collaged furniture, handmade boxes of all sorts, and the launch of my line of Peace Cards, offering poetic musings on life and the times we live in.
Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. What’s a moment that really shaped how you see the world?
A moment in time that made a profound impact on how I see the world was when I first witnessed racism. It was a call to action for me, that I must always stand up and speak out for justice, no matter the consequences.
Is there something you miss that no one else knows about?
I miss the simple life of planting and growing the gardens for their sustenance and their miraculous beauty. I miss being truly among nature and feeling deep gratitude for life without all the layers and complications of material possessions…things may pass through your hands but nothing is to keep, to possess, to hold on to.
Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. Whom do you admire for their character, not their power?
I admired and still admire Jane Goodall for her radiant spirit, her kindness and her being a warrior for the good and for hope.
Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. When do you feel most at peace?
I feel most at peace in the garden, working in the soil and feeling wonder and joy at the beauty and mystery of nature. Gardening slows me down, and when I slow down I am able to see, to be present.
I also feel most at peace in the presence of my four year old grand twins. When I am with them, I am welcomed into the world of imagination and all possibilities.
Contact Info:
- Website: karenwatsonfineart.com and watsonholton.com
- Instagram: karenwatson0424
- Facebook: Karen Watson
- Other: mobile 617-645-5154
Image Credits
Photo of Karen Watson and Peter Holton by Michael Wiklund
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