Press
Virginia Living Magazine
Emerging Artists: A celebrated Virginia artist IDs who’s on her radar.
"When Virginia Living magazine's Editor-in-Chief Madeline Mayhood reached out to me to identify some artists who inspire me and whose work I love, I didn't have to look far. Some of my faves have studios in my own neck of the woods of Albemarle County, which makes for a rich stew in which to live and work. The cross pollination of ideas is real and informs us, just as the landscape or the clay that comes from it informs our paintings or sculptures." —Karen Blair
July 2023 Portland Art Gallery Show
In House Dressing, acclaimed Southern designer, Janie Molster reveals the secrets behind her unique ability to craft dreamy interiors and shares down-to-earth advice for creating your own beautiful and personal spaces. Through House Dressing, Janie showcases a range of projects while giving a master class in working with color, pattern, and texture to make spaces that are in turn bold, serene, glamorous, and comfortable, but always personal.
Leaping Disco Hare I & II
Navy Leaping Hare I & II
featured in two seasons of Righteous Gemstones on HBO
courtesy of Charleston Artist Collective.
Virginia Living Magazine - June 2022
Hotel Art Redefined - By Kinsey Gidick
Photography by Sera Petras
“You can feel that energy radiating off her canvases. Blair says each individual moment inspires her work. ‘Nature gives us gifts each day, sometimes of wonder and awe, perhaps in a crescendo of a sunset or small moments of grace such as when a particular flower blooms in a garden,’ she says. ‘The challenge is to be alert to all of this, to embrace, celebrate, and then distill these gifts into a coherent narrative.’”
Yee Haw!
Cards available at select Trader Joe’s.
Radio Maine with Dr. Lisa Belisle
“Artist Karen Blair has had a long love affair with Maine. Although she makes her home in Charlottesville, Virginia, she has a deep appreciation for the many artists who have similarly been inspired by the Pine Tree State, including Lois Dodd, Fairfield Porter, and Reggie Burrows Hodges. Our remote interview with Karen includes a walk through her studio, where she has been working on a new series of Maine-influenced pieces, which will be featured in her 2022 show at the Portland Art Gallery. Join our visit with Karen on today’s episode of Radio Maine.”
”As we prepare for the seasons to change, our attention always tends to gravitate toward ways to refresh our interiors…Here, we’ve rounded up 10 works of art that span a range of styles and are ready to add new life to any area.”
SCOUTED ART: 10 WORKS THAT WILL INVIGORATE ANY SPACE - AUGUST 2019
C-Ville Weekly - June 2019 Mary Shea Watson
“Three years after starting her tenure as Second Street Gallery’s executive director and chief curator, Kristen Chiacchia says she feels at home. For the next month, when she enters the gallery, among the works greeting her are a watercolor and oil painting by celebrated mid-century abstract expressionist Joan Mitchell. The untitled works from 1957 form the pièce de résistance in Second Street’s ‘Lady Painters: Inspired by Joan Mitchell’ exhibition. Joining Mitchell in the show are five female artists from Virginia—Isabelle Abbot, Karen Blair, Janet Bruce, Molly Herman, and Priscilla Long Whitlock.
Karen Blair’s ‘Blue Iris’ energetically conveys joy and excitement. Displaying her painting next to Mitchell’s watercolor made her realize how much of Mitchell’s aesthetic became part of her own.
‘Abstract marks can convey an entire world,’ Blair says. ‘As an artist, if you walk into a gallery, the thing that you’re looking for is whether or not the show is more than the sum of its parts,’ says Blair. ‘The energy in [Second Street] knocks you off your feet. Kristen did that. Having a painting next to Joan Mitchell does that.’”
Virginia Living Magazine - June 2019
“Lady Painters: Inspired by Joan Mitchell” Excerpt from Virginia Living Magazine review by Sarah Sargent.
“With a semi-abstract language, Karen Blair’s paintings verge on the non-objective without ever entirely letting go of the subject matter. She guides our perception by inserting landmarks like the funny little trees in ‘Garden Plan’ and ‘Visit to the Botanical Gardens’. These schematic physical representations help us interpret the rectangular swatches of paint as cultivated beds, whose color is dictated by the quality of the light hitting them. The dynamic brushwork is both narrative tool, describing plants and shrubs, and expressive visual flourish, and the fresh palette of yellows, greens and pinks pull you back to the sense of the gardens she is representing.”
Tichenor & Thorp Architects are featured in the May/June 2018 issue of Elite Magazine.
"A portrait hangs above a mantle in the master suite. The fireplace's surround is adorned with newly installed Andalusian tiles. The lady of the house, Tina Brand, sat for artist Karen Blair."
Karen is a proud supporter of Second Street Gallery
Second Street Gallery's mission is to enliven Virginia through access to the best in contemporary art and artists: to inspire new ways of thinking, seeing, and doing.
Making the most of the 2015 Southern Living Idea House near Charlottesville
Washington Post
“Looking for some design inspiration? A showhouse that celebrates Southern style, decorated by Bunny Williams, opens Saturday in North Garden, Va., just southwest of Charlottesville.”
Practice Makes Perfect
Virginia Living Magazine - January 2013
“Blair is constantly observing the world, employing not just her eyes, but all her senses. When out in nature, she notes wind, temperature, moisture, birdsong, smells, etc., incorporating all these aspects into her impression of a place. Her aim is to produce a fully fleshed-out representation of her subject, and capture its essence in a more powerful way than an exact replication ever could.”
Warm welcome: Group show at McGuffey invites colorful observations
C-Ville
“I love Karen Blair’s riotous flower paintings that seem to explode with vernal energy.”
Karen is a proud supporter of Botanical Garden of the Piedmont
The mission of the Botanical Garden of the Piedmont is to invite all community members and visitors to engage in nature, to educate and inspire through the beauty and importance of plants, to advance sustainability, and to promote human and environmental well-being.
Karen is a proud supporter of The Virginia Center for the Creative Arts
VCCA advances the arts by providing a creative space in which our best national and international artists produce their finest literature, visual art and music. In 2008 Karen received the Reynolds Foundation Grant for her Artist Residency at the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts.
Karen is a proud supporter of the Ah Haa School for the Arts
The Ah Haa School for the Arts is a dynamic art school in Telluride, Colorado dedicated to inspiring all people to discover, nurture, and celebrate creativity.
Karen is a proud supporter of The Visual Arts Center of Richmond
The Visual Arts Center of Richmond is a community arts center that has been helping adults and children explore their creativity and make great art since 1963.
Karen is a proud supporter of The Paramount Theater
The Paramount Theater is a member of the League of Historic American Theaters, and is a significant part of our area’s history. Now a vibrant and versatile venue for performing arts and community events, The Paramount is a vital contributor to Central Virginia’s present and future quality of life as well as an economic driver for the region.
Karen is a proud suppoerter of the New City Arts Initiative + The Haven
New City Arts Initiative is a collaborative non-profit fostering engagement with the arts in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Karen is a proud supporter of the Women's Initiative
The mission of The Women’s Initiative is to provide women with effective counseling, social support and education so they can transform life challenges into positive change and growth.