KAREN DIXON
Karen Dixon creates one-of-a-kind paper cloth art. Drawn to the beauty and texture of handmade paper, much of her work is produced with thick embossed mulberry paper. The natural elements of the paper led her to the botanical themes seen throughout many pieces.
Her success has been in creating art that provokes curiosity and evokes feelings of joy and peace. Her work involves painting, embossing, cutting and shaping each element of her art. Out of a desire for people to be able to experience her 3-dimensional art without the barrier of glass, she seals each petal making her paper art both strong and water resistant.
Karen is a Grand Rapids native and has spent the last 25 years raising a family, teaching and being an active member of her community. After receiving her Bachelor's Degree from Western Michigan University, she earned her Masters Degree from Johns Hopkins University. She is certified to teach special education, general education and art education.
Karen has featured her art in Artprize for the past three years and was honored to be named a Top 25 Artist at the 2023 Artprize!
Artist Statement:
This collection, Perfectly Imperfect, symbolizes my journey through my life and art. For most of my life, I felt like I wasn’t “good enough” of an artist to pursue anything other than a hobby. My beliefs began to change when I started working with paper. I quickly fell in love with paper art and the sculptural possibilities. After many frustrated attempts to create something “perfect,” I realized that just wasn’t me. Rather than replicate something perfectly, I embrace that my work mirrors life. Each phase, challenge and experience is beautiful as is and perfectly imperfect. My pieces are never exactly the same - sizes, colors, and materials always vary, yet each one is beautiful and perfectly imperfect.
