The Artist

Karen Tunnell

Marbling as Muse

I was born into a family of artists and have been drawing, painting and stitching most of my life. I studied art at the University of South Florida and the Atlanta College of Art, and textile art at Penland School of Crafts, Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, John C. Campbell Folk School and Snow Farm, The New England Craft Program. These days I teach workshops occasionally at those same schools.

Early in my career I began working with architects and designers to produce site-specific textile commissions. Since 2000 I have focused on marbling on paper and fabric. By creating my own patterns I have a unique basis for collage. The undulating, 3-D effect of Spanish Wave marbling suggests surreal, vaguely disturbing visual stories. These patterns suggest turbulent, violent forces and become the perfect starting point for work that expresses my concerns about climate change.

I combine various papers and fabrics into larger pieces then paint, draw and stitch to add depth, detail and drama.

My studio is at the Goat Farm Art Center, Atlanta, Georgia.

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