ARTIST STATEMENT
Memory is my subject, symbols are my language, and color is my collaborator.
My paintings explore the complicated nature of being human, particularly the strength, vulnerability, and contradictions of womanhood. The women in my work are not portraits of specific individuals. They represent emotions, experiences, and fragments of stories that are both personal and universal.
I use recurring symbols such as broken halos, serpents, veils, and delicate chains to suggest what we reveal, what we conceal, and what we carry with us. Layers of paint, texture, and unexpected details allow these stories to emerge gradually.
I am drawn to the tension between beauty and darkness, strength and fragility, the familiar and the mysterious.
Every painting reveals more than it first appears. Look once, then look again.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Karen Fike is a Chicago-based contemporary artist working in mixed media and figurative abstraction. With a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre and a background in scenic painting and interior design, she brings a distinctive understanding of composition, atmosphere, and visual storytelling to her work.
Her artistic practice has evolved through experimentation with unconventional materials, layered surfaces, and a growing interest in the relationship between abstraction and the human figure.
Fike’s work has been exhibited in Chicago, nationally, and internationally, including Woman Made Gallery, Zhou B Art Center, Wausau Museum of Contemporary Art, and Artbox Projects exhibitions.
Her experience in theatrical design continues to influence her approach to painting, where each canvas becomes a carefully constructed visual environment. Through an evolving body of work, she continues to develop a recognizable artistic language that balances intuition, experimentation, and personal expression.
© Karen Fike