My Artist Crush for August 2016 is Karen Parsons. I had the utmost pleasure of meeting Karen and working with her in The Crafter's Workshop booth at CHA in January of this year. I found her immensely charming immediately. You can tell she loves creating art and sharing it with other people. She has an engaging personality that you can't help but love. Since meeting her, I have been able to stay in touch and see more of her work and amazed by all of her artistic abilities. Karen creates beautiful pieces of art which many times I think are reflective of the beautiful soul she is.
Karen Elaine Parsons is known by Karen Elaine in the art world. Let me introduce you to Karen.
What is your favorite medium? Watercolor Is there a medium you desire to learn more about? What inspires your art? Experiences, objects and art. Everything inspires art! 
Do you have professional training as an artist or self taught? I have studied fine art from contemporary masters in watercolor, oil and figure drawing and am a self taught paper crafter and origami folder. Do you sell your work? In the past I used to sell my work through galleries and commissions but now I love to teach creative techniques. I still sell a painting occasionally. Karen's Studio Space
Tell me about your studio set-up: My studio is a very well organized office where I cram a lot into a pretty small space. I also think of my entire home and environment as my studio, basically wherever I can set my stuff up to create. What is the one thing in your art arsenal that you can't do without? My beloved Rotatrim paper cutter. Karen's Creative Process
Please explain your creative process? For me, the creative process is a way to solve a puzzle or come up with a solution. Sometimes it's expressing an emotion or feeling and sometimes I create because it makes me happy. I just dive right into a project or painting and I try not to think of how it should turn out. The result isn't always great but the process is! Expand on the concept of how you are Living the Art Life™: My grandfather was a successful artist so my family always respected art as a profession and encouraged me to pursue a career in art. I am blessed to have a job as an artist in the creative industry and I have always made art my first priority sometimes before food! I can't imagine doing anything else. Art keeps me sane and centered in a crazy world. What is your greatest joy in your art life? I love to inspire others to create by giving them access to the best tools and techniques. There are so many joys in teaching, especially children. The greatest joy in my art life is coming up with a new technique or idea that flows from a mystical source and surprises me. Those times when I look for a solution or try to solve a puzzle and something completely amazing happens instead. 
What is your greatest struggle in your art life? Those days when the only thing I can do is organize my art supplies. 
What other things would you like to share with our readers about Living The Art Life™: Spend some time each day practicing drawing, painting or creating to nurture the creative spirit and one day you will be surprised at what you can do. Make a space and time for yourself to create as if your life depended on it.
I hope you've enjoyed getting to know Karen better. Karen is truly an amazing person you should take the time to know. Her artwork is beautiful and elegant. She is also always thinking of creating new products we can play with while working for Yasutomo. She is creating, designing, sharing, teaching...Living The Art Life™. Make sure you follow Karen and visit her website at Karenelaine.com.
I also hope you are enjoying my Artist Crush Series each month. I'm always on the look-out for a new artist to not only recognize, but get to know better. Please leave me a comment below and let me know who else might you want to learn more about? Who is your Artist Crush?
