Karen Asherah is a fine artist specializing in photography, painting and sculpture. She lives in the Santa Cruz Mountains, California. Equines have been very important in Karen's life and are a common theme in her artwork.
From the age of three, Karen enjoyed making art. Her mother was a portrait artist who encouraged creative expression. Karen began exploring photography in her teens and in her early 20's, Karen attended art school at California College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland. Through the 1970's and 1980's, Karen worked in the visual merchandising and graphic arts fields before obtaining a Masters in Social Work. After a twenty-five year career in social work, she is able to focus full-time on her photography and art.
For over ten years, Karen has been exhibiting and selling her work online, in galleries, art festivals, shops and cafes. She has participated in juried photography shows at the Triton Museum, Santa Cruz Open Studios and at numerous California art centers. Karen's photography has won awards at Sacramento and Chico art centers and at the Western States Horse Exposition.
Karen is passionate about animal welfare and hopes that her work encourages humans to have compassion for all Beings in the world. Karen contributes a portion of her income from sales to animal welfare organizations.
"Making art is a kind of grounding in my life. It brings me joy to observe the dynamics of intraspecies communication and reflect upon the individual character of every Being I photograph... Making an image is the process of immersion, finding visual balance, recording, and then, through editing, developing a deeper exploration of the subject. At this point, the images may change or be reshaped. Editing images is a kind of visual sculpting...Compositions are visual altars. They express my feelings of compassion and respect for my subjects. I want to share those values with the world. When I print and exhibit my work, I feel as though I'm sending out an intention into the Universe".
​ Karen Asherah