Karen Roth-Affiliate

“Back to the Drawing Board”
40” x 60”; Acrylic paint, modelling paste, gel medium on canvas.

$5,000.

There are times when we need to look back to old ways in order to solve a new problem.

“Old School”
40” x 60”; Acrylic paint, modelling paste, gel medium on canvas.

Remember years ago when it was fun to write on those chalky blackboards? That was the old way of doing things.

“Playtime”
36” x 48”; Acrylic paint, modelling paste, gel medium on canvas.

$2,500.

Shapes look like children’s building blocks. It also refers to an artist playing around on the canvas.

“Edgy”
36” x 48”; Acrylic paint on canvas.

Lots of rectangles that seem to be moving around nervously.

“Spin Time”
36” x 48”; Acrylic paint, modelling paste, gel medium on canvas.

Boxy shapes spinning around dizzily. It is also a play on words for “putting a spin on it”.

“Pieces of the Past"
48” x 36”; Acrylic paint, modelling paste, gel medium on canvas.

Abstract images of memories and old photographs from the past.

“Balance”
48” x 36”; Acrylic paint, modeling paste, gel medium on Arches paper mounted on canvas.

$2,800.

Two shapes create a balance on the canvas. Also, the top shape is trying to keep its balance.

“Cryptic Message”
30 x 30”, acrylic paint, modelling paste, gel medium on canvas.
$750

Appears to be a message of ancient markings on a wall that cannot be deciphered.

Statement

For several years I watched my hometown of Detroit, this once vital, beautiful city, fall into hard times. Houses were abandoned, neglected and in disrepair. Stretches of city blocks stood empty.

In order to replicate what I was seeing I developed a process of creating a highly textured surface on stretched canvas. Modelling paste, acrylic paint and other materials formed the base and then I proceeded to paint, scratch, scrape, peel and repeat over and over. The intention was to show what the effects of neglect and time can produce. In addition, when the outer surface is continually stripped away a certain primitiveness appears that demonstrates how close to the earth we really are.

When I relocated to New York and then Brooklyn the images of those peeling, layered surfaces and fading colors continued to inspire my work. And, of course, there was all of that graffiti to influence me. The result of these factors brought about paintings that are rudimentary and gritty rather than slick and perfect. This is the earthiness that I am trying to capture.

Bio

Karen Roth was born in Detroit, Michigan and earned a Bachelor degree in education at Wayne State University and a Master of Fine Arts degree in painting and mixed media at Eastern Michigan University.

The urban environment had a profound effect on her aesthetic development. Detroit, a once vibrant city, spent many years in a very steep decline. She incorporated this devastation into her painting. This resulted in a body of work that was gritty, rough and rudimentary. She continues to utilize this concept in her art.

In addition to painting on canvas, she created a billboard sponsored by Eller Outdoor Advertising in Detroit. The large piece was displayed in an outdoor location after she worked on it in their indoor studio.

Roth relocated to New York in 1988 and to Brooklyn in 1993 where she continues to work and live. Her art is displayed in galleries and other venues. Her website is: www.karenrothart.com

Born:

Detroit, Michigan

Relocated to New York in 1988 and has resided in Brooklyn since 1993

Education:

Master of Fine Arts (MFA), Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti, Michigan

Bachelor of Science in Education (BS), Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan

Grant:

2017 Artists’ Fellowship

Membership:

2021 Affiliate, Viridian Artists, New York

Solo Shows:

2017 Paintings, Sabay Curatorial Space, New York

2008 Changingscapes-Urban Views, Clinton Hill Art Gallery, New York

1992 Facades, Jan Weiss Gallery, New York

1986 Paintings, Creative Arts Gallery, Central Michigan University

Group Shows:

2021 Director’s Choice, Viridian Artists, New York

2019 The Salad Days, Detroit Artists Market, Detroit

2016 Painting the Town, Art OffSpace, Brooklyn

2014 Back to Basics, Art OffSpace, Brooklyn

2013 Sight Lines, Art as We See It, Clinton Hill Art Gallery, Brooklyn

2007 Points of View, Tabla Rasa Gallery, Brooklyn

2002 Spring, Primavera, Gallery Charas/El Bohio, New York

1998-2007, Various Exhibits, Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition

1997 The Lightbox (Installation by Richard Humann), Williamsburg Art & Historical Center, Brooklyn

1996 Gallery Artists, Jan Weiss Gallery, New York

1994 Gallery Artists, Jan Weiss Gallery, New York

1992 Archi-Texture, Gallery of Contemporary Art, Fairfield, Connecticut

1991 On, Of and About Paper, Janice Charach Gallery, West Bloomfield, Michigan

1991 Honour the Land, Jan Weiss Gallery, New York

1987 Mix, The Broadway Gallery, Detroit

1984 Paintings/Contrasts, Pontiac Art Center, Pontiac, Michigan

1981 Paper Works, Detroit Focus Gallery, Detroit

1980 Art in Alternative Spaces, Contemporary Art Institute of Detroit

1979 Detroit Artists, Dead or Alive, Feigenson Gallery, Detroit

1978 Seven, Gallery 7, Detroit

1977 Sculpture ‘77’, Macomb County Community College, Detroit

1977 Two for One, Oakland Community College, Detroit

1977 Mid-Michigan, Midland, Michigan

1976 Mid-Michigan, Midland, Michigan

1975 Mid-Michigan, Midland, Michigan

Bibliography:

Nov. 1987 New Art Examiner, Review, Pg. 60, Vincent A. Carducci

January 1987 New Art Examiner, Article, Pg. 38, Vincent A. Carducci

June 1984 Detroit Focus Quarterly, Review, Pg. 10

June 17, 1978 Detroit Free Press, Mural Sacked, Polk Laffoon

March 1978 Detroit News, Review, Joy Hakanson Colby

Dec. 1977 Detroit Artists Monthly, Interview, Art on Billboards

Art Projects:

1980 All Together Now, WDET-FM Radio, Detroit, Michigan

Produced and narrated The Dinner Party Controversy

An interview with artist, Judy Chicago and Detroit Institute of Art curator, Susan Rossen.

1977 Art on a Billboard, Eller Outdoor Advertising, Detroit, Michigan.

Created original painting in the Eller studios for a billboard that was displayed in a Detroit neighborhood.

Selected Collections:

Corporate

Calvin Klein Cosmetics; Milan, Italy

Standard Federal Savings; Troy, Michigan

General Motors Advanced Product Engineering; Auburn Hills, Michigan

Arthur Andersen & Company; Houston, Texas

Private

Dan Avallone, New York

Dan Icolari, New York

Anthony Notaro, New York

Louis Giordano, New York

Susanne Kuhlmann, Homberg, Germany

Stephen Harris, New York

Darienne Dennis, New York

Donald Fraser, New York

Michael and Jimena Hirschhorn, New York

Beverly Sund-Cheffo, New York

James Wellford, New York

Wayne Dobson, New York

Jean Jawanek, New York

Paul English, New York

Lisa Chakrabarti, Paris, France

Rich Schwarzkopf, New York

John Howell and Diane Aronson, New York

Philip DeLoach, New York

Anne Gatoff, Los Angeles, CA

David Bloch, New York

Jan Weiss, New York

Vincent A. Carducci, Detroit

George and Sheila Richmond, Detroit

Karen Roth--Affiliate

Karen Roth-Affiliate