About the Artist

Bio

Karen Murphy is a contemporary landscape painter born in Boston, Massachusetts. She spent part of her childhood in Florida before growing up on the South Shore of Massachusetts, where wide skies, quiet marshes, and coastal light became part of her inner landscape. She now lives and works in Riverside, Rhode Island.

Karen comes from a family of working artists and grew up surrounded by painting, illustration, and handcrafted work. She began studying oil painting as a young teenager and has maintained a professional art practice for over thirty years. Although she did not attend art school, she continued her education through mentorships with artists she admired while building a long corporate career. During those years she painted part-time, kept a dedicated studio, exhibited in galleries, and developed a strong plein-air practice that deeply shaped her understanding of light and atmosphere. After moving to Rhode Island in 2013, she left the corporate world in 2015 to focus on her art full time.

Her work is held in private and corporate collections throughout the United States and internationally. Karen is currently self-represented, and her paintings are available through juried art festivals nationwide and directly from her studio.

In 2025, Karen was honored to have her work featured in two major publications — American Art Collector Magazine and International Artist Magazine. You can read both articles here: American Art Collector and International Artist.

Artist Statement

I paint landscapes shaped by memory, atmosphere, and quiet observation. While much of my work has centered on coastal environments, my deeper interest is in the relationship between land, water, and sky, and the sense of calm found in familiar places.

I am especially drawn to salt marshes and estuaries, not only for their shifting light and subtle beauty, but for their complex and fragile ecosystems. I use muted color, soft edges, and a tonal approach to create work that feels contemplative rather than descriptive. I am not interested in exact renderings of specific locations. Instead, I walk through nature as a quiet observer, absorbing its rhythms and poetry, then return to the studio to paint from memory and imagination.

My goal is not simply to depict a place, but to invite the viewer into a personal, reflective experience. I hope the paintings offer a pause, a sense of peace, and space for viewers to connect with their own memories, emotions, and inner landscapes.

Outside the Studio

Outside the studio, I spend much of my time on the water and outdoors, and I travel often with my partner, Anthony. Kayaking and paddleboarding are central to my life, along with biking and hiking together. I also enjoy farm-to-table cooking and a long-standing yoga practice, both of which inform the mindfulness and attention I bring to my work.