Karen Goetzinger is an abstract painter who has lived in Minnesota, New York, and Ottawa, Ontario and has now returned to her roots in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Through the use of mixed media such as acrylic, ink, graphite, and oil pastel, she expressively marks the imprint of beauty in the seemingly inconsequential and imperfect things of life. There is a fierceness about her brushwork— an agitation and determination and yet her paintings are often described as beautiful, uplifting, and filled with life and energy. Colours and marks push off the edges of the large scale canvases with an unrestrained freedom.
She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Fashion Design with an emphasis in Fine Arts from Mount Mary University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Her work is exhibited by public and commercial galleries throughout North America, in cities such as Milwaukee, Ottawa, Toronto, and New York. It has also been shown in exhibition spaces in China and Australia and hangs in both private and corporate collections internationally.
Recent recognition for her work includes a 2020 ARTicipate Endowment Fund grant and exhibition award at the Shenkman Arts Centre in Ottawa. Her work has been funded by both the Ontario Arts Council and Canada Council for the Arts.
During the years in Ottawa, Ontario Karen was very active in the arts community. She was appointed to the Ottawa Arts, Culture, and Heritage Investment Program Steering Committee and was unanimously elected to the Arts Network Ottawa Board of Directors, serving two consecutive three year terms. Karen was a frequent volunteer for the Ottawa Art Gallery and the Ottawa Arts Council. She taught at the Ottawa School of Art and also by invitation in Australia and New Zealand.