Karen Kramer

Every day I am inspired by observing the natural world, whether it is the intricacy of a leafy branch, the texture and lines of a mountain rock, or a bold color in the sky. I see endless contradictions within the same landscape: light/dark; arid/wet; sharp/soft; living/dying. I feel compelled to examine this harmonious paradox in my work as I seek to capture the mystery, variation and whimsicality I find in every natural scene.
Born in New York City, I was raised in Berkeley, California. Over the years, I studied art at the University of California, Berkeley, and Laney and Merritt Colleges in Oakland, California. I have spent most of my career as a public interest lawyer but returned primarily to my original passions of drawing and painting in 2010. My work has been shown nationally and locally and includes commissions by the Alameda County Art Commission. I am also a watercolor workshop instructor at the Richmond Art Center