Karen Willard was born in Washington, DC, grew up in Central North Carolina, and now resides in Central Virginia. She graduated from Gardner-Webb University in Boiling Springs, North Carolina with both a Bachelor’s in Business Administration, and an MBA with a concentration in Human Resources Management. While in graduate school in 2010, Karen started Intellexual Design, LLC (http://www.intellexual-design.com) – a company that specializes in custom hand painted footwear and accessories and has grown exponentially over the last 6 years into a thriving and very rewarding full-time career. Following her move to Virginia in 2012, she began teaching Business as an adjunct professor for a local community college, as well as graphic design and shoe design in a summer career immersion/enrichment program geared towards children grades 3rd – 9th.

Karen has been a “color addict” for as long as she can remember. Teaching herself graphic design and web design at the age of 15, and drawing since she’s been able to hold a pencil, she has experimented with many mediums and techniques but has a deep love of colored pencil painting and acrylic painting. Her work has been featured in regional magazines, nationally broadcasted television (NBC & USA Network) and juried art shows.



While I dabble in a variety of subject matter and concepts, I always return to flowers. With the use of rich colors and bold strokes, I enjoy permanently capturing the impermanence of flowers – their beauty, lushness and form. The essence of my art is the depiction and enhancement of conceptual themes and the natural world.