They split apart, come off the wall, grow into sculptures, and leave deliberate holes where wholeness is expected. Based in Richmond, Virginia, she is a fiber artist, U.S. Army veteran, and educator whose work sits at the intersection of identities that rarely appear together: soldier, quilter, veteran, woman, fine artist and traditional craftsperson.

After returning from a deployment to Afghanistan in 2014, quilting became a therapeutic outlet that evolved into creative expression. Today, Karen blends traditional and modern quilting techniques with improvisational processes to question ready-made stories about military service, women's labor, and female embodiment.

As a former social scientist, she is interested in using art to examine how humans process complex emotions and present themselves to others. Working with sheer fabrics, lace, reclaimed fabrics, and orphan blocks, Karen explores themes of isolation vs belonging, protection versus exposure, visible invisibility, how materials hold memory, and the landscapes (both physical and emotional) that shape us.

Across series, her palette and forms change with her subject. In her current work, she limits herself to red and white, drawing on quilting history, the colors of national symbolism, and the body.

In addition to her artistic practice, Karen is a dedicated teacher, offering virtual sewing and quilting classes and in-person workshops. She encourages students to explore both the technical and emotional aspects of textile arts, helping them connect their personal stories to the materials and processes they use.

She regularly exhibits in the Mid-Atlantic region where she lives and has even won a few awards for her work. Karen holds a B.A. in Anthropology from the University of Maryland and an M.S. in Textiles from North Carolina State University, and is pursuing an MFA in Studio Art at the Maryland Institute College of Art (2027)

Karen can usually be found in her creative studio listening to music or historical/true crime podcasts or classic fiction audiobooks while making colorful messes - assisted by her mischievous furry overlord, Lucius, her studio su-purr meowdel, Daisy, and Dozer, the newest member of the team.