Karen grew up as a tomboy in south Minneapolis, and graduated from Washburn Highschool in 1967. She and her husband moved to a farm north of Verndale,MN,
in 1969. There she raised 6 children who all graduated from Verndale Highschool. After her divorce, in 1992, Karen became a home health aide and worked for several companies including Allied Professionals in Edina MN. where she met hundreds of people from all over the world.
Throughout her life, Karen wanted to make art, and she did it with whatever materials she had on hand. Scrapbooks and scolptures of junk were sometimes all she could afford. Then in 2000, her daughter gave her a big bag of oil paints, and Karen joined the Brainerd Art Club.

Karens grandfather had inspired her to paint with oils when she was a child, and she used them throughout her life as her main art form.

Her paintings have shown in Verndale, Staples, New York Mills, Brainerd, Nisswa, St Cloud, Starbuck, Elk River, Robinsdale, Minneapolis, and, by a fluke acceptance of a magazine call, in New York City, at the Lincoln Center.

Karen is a struggling artist. Although she recieved several awards from the Brainerd Art Club, there never seems to be enough money to make prints and cards.

After injuring her right hand, and learning to do most things with her left hand, Karen has retired from doing home care, and is now a student at Central Lakes College in the communication art and design program.

Currently, Karen is building a website to market her art, wild herbs, antiques, and natural craft materials.

You can visit her site at woodsways.com, or wildherbtea.com