Karen Dale

While Karen Dale prefers the painting studio of the great outdoors when weather permits, her spacious studio loft in Dockton offers daily windows of inspiration.

A former student of Pam Ingalls, Dale has been painting since 1997. Her works employ vibrant color and strong light. A graphic designer by trade, with degrees in film, writing and photography, Dale says she took life drawing classes which lead to working with Ingalls. She says painting has since become nearly an obsession for her.

Her commissioned piece, a realistic earth-toned still life on Masonite, is entitled “Seen Many Harvests.” The piece conjures the mood of autumn bounty complete with acorn squash, corn husks, a Native American vase, an old wooden scythe and delicate smoke rising from a forgotten candle.

For still life, Ingalls sets up her tableau and lighting and then immediately begins painting, most often on wood. Keeping the paths of inspiration open, Dale’s work ranges from realism to impressionism.

An avid gardener, Dale started painting plein air. In 2003 she founded Vashon’s Plein Air Painting Festival. The group will exhibit its work at The Hardware Store Restaurant in October, 2008. She self-published her first painting handbook in 2007, “Learn How to Paint en Plein Air.”

“It makes me feel so alive. Painting is my way of relating to the world around me.”