Horne Fine Art - Biography of artist, Karen Horne

Born in New York City, Karen Horne was raised in California and Utah. She was fortunate to grow up in a home where art was both created and collected. The walls were hung with a variety of paintings from her mother’s latest creations to harbor scenes by early Utah Impressionists. Many of these latter works were from the private collection of Karen’s paternal great-grandmother, Alice Merrill Horne, Utah’s “First Lady of the Arts.” Karen traces her love of color to the influence of these works.

Karen received her training at Yale University (BA cum laude) and completed an MFA in Painting at Indiana University on a full teaching fellowship. She went on to study abroad in Florence. She moved to New York City, where she gave lecture tours of The Frick Collection, taught color workshops, painted and exhibited her work. After a dozen years in New York City, she returned to Utah in 1996. When her first solo show opened at SLC’s Lumiere Gallery in 1981, Karen was recognized by the late George Dibble as “A new talent with power.”

Over the years she has received awards from exhibition jurors such as artists Phillip Pearlstein and noted NY dealer Andre Emmerich, as well as a top prize from the National Academy of Design. Her paintings are featured in numerous public and corporate collections, the State Collection at the Capitol, the Springville Museum. Corporate collections include Morgan Stanley Dean Witter Reynolds and American Express. Recent exhibitions include “Utah Art/Utah Artists” of the Cultural Olympiad and the Lieutenant Governor’s 2002 Invitational. Karen was recently voted of the “100 Most Honored Artists of Utah.”

Karen is noted for her “sizzling color” and deft handling of the figure. Her paintings celebrate the parade of life in a tapestry of gestures and colors. In New York City she was drawn to depict the city’s open spaces -- its streets, parks and beaches. Since returning to Salt Lake City, she visit parks, outdoor restaurants, festivals for inspiration – recording the local spectacle. Her recent pastels of Olympic spectators at Soldier Hollow show that it is the human element, rather than the setting itself, that most holds her attention.

To learn more about Karen Horne's work visit www.karenhornefineart.com.