ABOUT

The three major components of Karen Nagano’s art, The World of Lady M, Karen’s World and Portraitscapes, reveal the scope and wealth of her creative imagination and curiosity.

Through her work in The World of Lady M, she connects with the rich visual conventions and beauty of her ancestral culture .  For others like her, who are of Asian ancestry, she offers the connection to the shadow culture that informs our interior worlds.  For those whose roots are Western or of another culture altogether, she offers entry into a world of elegance and beauty of a different order.  She offers the expansion of your world through entry into this unique other.

Lady M refers to Lady Murasaki Shikibu, 11th Century Imperial Court attendant, author of the world’s first novel, Tale of Genji, and, for Karen, a symbol of female empowerment.

Karen’s World expresses the artist’s passion for Life, her interest and involvement in the world around her:  Nature, people , the rituals and forms of daily life, the exquisite beauty of the mundane, the challenges of inner demons,  the here and now.

The mastery of the wide range of materials Karen uses to give visual form to her daily world is impressive.  Charcoal, pastels, conte, watercolor, gouache, oil paint, iPhone and iPad, are all handled with confidence and ease.  Even more impressive is the deep, intimate connection Karen makes to her subjects.  The gardens, the flowers, the children, the animals, even the hungry ghosts and demons are held in tender, open regard.  

In inviting you to enjoy a piece of her world, Karen is inviting you to bring a piece of art into your world so you can extend that experience of beauty, intimacy, and discovery into your daily life.

Karen’s newest offering is Portraitscapes.  Portraitscapes combines Karen’s artistic talent with her intuitive, poetic gifts in the creation of a visual biography. These works are a journey of discovery between subject and artist, a undertaking rooted in trust, authenticity, and  love with the intention of a unique work of art that is affirming, validating, healing and transformative.

Karen Nagano received a B.A. in Art from Stanford University.  She studied Art at Kofukai Art Institute in Tokyo, Japan, UC Berkeley, and did graduate work in Art at UC Santa Barbara.  

Karen’s work has been exhibited in the U.S. and Europe.  Her work is included in the collections of the Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula, the Monterey Symphony, the Monterey Museum of Art,  Mr. and Mrs. William Hyland, Anne Fitzpatrick, the Mary and Ross Green Family Collection and many others.

Karen Nagano is also a poet and a healer.