Karen Conduff

“My paintings are more about color, texture and shape than they are about subject matter. I use the mark of the brush to define form and to create volume, piling the paint on in thick, juicy swirls. I experience sheer joy in spreading the paint around like icing on a birthday cake and hope that some of this joy is experienced by the viewer, as well.”

Keren Conduff

Growing up in the Air Force and moving around a lot, art was the one constant in my life. I knew when I was nine that I wanted to be an artist, but I went to college in the ‘70s and all the instructors were into “expression” and had no skills they could teach someone who wanted to paint from life. So, out of frustration, I got side-tracked into clay and made my living from pottery for many years. Then, in 1995 I realized that I just had to get back to painting and discovered that I have the good fortune of living in an area with some of the best teachers in the country, not to mention some of the best scenery. There’s never been a puzzle or game invented that is as absorbing and challenging as painting from life. Standing in the wind, the rain, the sun, being bitten by bugs and pelted by hail, chasing the light – what a life!

Select Awards

Wade Fairchild Scholarship, Scottsdale Artists’ School, AZ, 2003

Western and Wildlife Nat’l Juried Show, Casper, WY, 2000 1st Place

Select Exhibitions

Chico Basin Ranch, 2006, 2007, 2008

Estes Park Plein Air, 2004, 2005

Open Studios Tour, Boulder, CO 2000 to present

Best and Brightest, Scottsdale Artists’ School, AZ 2004

Bowery Gallery National Competition, NY City 2001

Western and Wildlife Show, Casper, WY, 2000, 2002