Karen Richardson studio’s open house March 28-29

When professional landscape artist Karen Richardson relocated to Lindsay from Port Perry six years ago, she came with a 15-year tradition of opening her studio to the public every spring, as part of the renowned Lake Scugog Spring Studio Tour.

Now comfortably settled into the Kawartha Lakes community, and with a freshly refurbished art studio, she is busy preparing for her annual tradition of welcoming the public into her creative space.

Karen Richardson Studio is located at 271 Angeline Street South in Lindsay (across from St. Thomas Aquinas School) and will be open to the public on the weekend of March 28 and 29 from 1-5 pm both days. Everyone attending is eligible to enter a free draw to win one of Karen’s original paintings. Admission is free and all are welcome.

Karen grew up near Algonquin Park in northern Ontario, surrounded by the terrain of the Canadian Shield, and now is drawn instinctively to rock-filled wilderness scenery. Her fascination with stones inspires many of her paintings. Since she began her art career 34 years ago, art collectors in 20 countries have acquired over 700 of her paintings and over half of those paintings have stone in them. Karen’s artwork is now represented by seven galleries across Ontario.

Visitors will take in a collection of 40 watercolour landscapes and nature studies, created in a realistic style that makes the subjects seem to come alive. Karen mounts and frames her watercolours without the use of glass, providing an unimpeded view of her artwork from any angle.

In addition to the many paintings she produces, Karen is a popular painting instructor and author of Watercolour Toolbox, an award-winning art instruction book. Her paintings also are featured in a coffee-table book titled The Artists of Kawartha. Both books will be available at the Open Studio event.

Recently, Karen was asked about the current focus of her artwork and explained, “I love stones and rock-filled scenery. The windowsills of my studio are filled with glass vases of unusual stones collected throughout North America. My husband and I love to travel in our RV and during our extensive journeys I have ample opportunity to feed my craving for beautiful stones. I am working on a series of watercolours of northern lakes, which by their geology include lots of rock.”

With original paintings and prints ranging in value from $200 to $2000, Open Studio visitors are certain to find the perfect piece for home or office.

Visit www.karenrichardson.ca or phone 705-324-4881.