At the Edge of an Unknown Forest

Providence-based artist Karen Rand Anderson graduated with honors from Rhode Island School of Design in 1977 with a BFA in ceramics, and in 2010 received her MFA in mixed-media studio art through the Vermont Studio Center/Northern Vermont State University graduate degree program in Johnson, VT. Anderson’s deep involvement with visual art has spanned many different mediums, including glass, ceramics, painting, and sculptural work with natural and found materials. Influenced by a connection with the natural world and a personal inquiry into mystery, she continues to explore multiple creative processes. As a painter, Karen's work focuses on an exploration of landscape moving forward into abstraction, informed by intuitive mark-making, layering of color, gestural brushwork, and spontaneity. Her sculptural work utilizes natural materials combined with appropriated objects; early large-format drawings reference her sculptures, both visually and conceptually. Her work has won numerous awards and is shown in solo, invitational and juried shows throughout New England, as well as further afield. She has completed artist residencies at Vermont Studio Center, I-Park Artists Enclave (CT) and in Bulgaria, and was awarded a 2018 artist residency at Chateau Orquevaux, France.