Galveston Art League to feature award-winning painter Karen Calhoun

Karen Calhoun doesn’t shy away from complex architecture as shown by this detailed painting of the Bishop’s Palace, a well-known Galveston landmark. She will exhibit several paintings from July 30- Aug. 29 at the Galveston Art League Gallery, 2117A Postoffice St. in Galveston.

Galveston Art League Featured Artist Karen Calhoun humorously calls this painting “Fred and Edsel.” She has a large exhibit of paintings in the league’s gallery, 2117A Postoffice St., which is open from noon to 6 p.m. Fridays-Sundays starting July 30 and until 9 p.m. for ArtWalk on Aug. 28.

​Galveston Art League to feature award-winning painter Karen Calhoun
Painter Karen Calhoun, the Galveston Art League’s newest Featured Artist, is primarily a realist –
in fact, her work has been described as “photography in oils.” But she does occasionally delve into
surrealism.
About a dozen of her works – still lifes to landscapes – will be on display in the Art League’s
gallery, 2117A Postoffice St., from noon to 6 p.m. Fridays through Sundays, starting July 30. The gallery
will stay open until 9 p.m. for ArtWalk on Aug. 28. The new exhibit, which will be composed of about
100 works by Galveston Art League members, will conclude Aug. 29.
Artworks in this exhibit – along with pieces from past Galveston Art League gallery shows – will
also be offered for sale at www.GalvestonArtLeague.com (click on “August Member Show,” which
should be posted by Aug. 3). Credit-card checkout is available or email [email protected] if you
wish to pay via another method.
Calhoun’s love of art began early and stayed with her during college and later adulthood. “I
knew from age 5 that I wanted to be an artist,” she says. She earned three bachelors’ degrees from the
University of Pittsburgh: in studio art, art in architecture, and art history. Besides working in oils,
Calhoun enjoys drawing, acrylics and alcohol inks. Her subject matter is wide-ranging, with inspiration
coming from nature, including pets, as well as from interesting architecture and reflections of light on
glass.
A busy artist, she regularly exhibits at area galleries. Calhoun has displayed her art in invited
shows around the area and was published in Southwest Art and American Art Collector. She has won
awards in Galveston Art League, National Society of Artists and Texas City Art Festival juried shows. She
also has several years of experience judging shows, including the Texas City Art Festival, the Texas City
Art Festival Children’s Division, and College of the Mainland competitions.
               A native Pennsylvanian, Calhoun and her husband, Doc, have resided in Texas for a decade and
a half. She has a son and daughter-in-law and a beautiful baby granddaughter. Her three cats are not
only her fur babies, but also the subjects of some of her paintings. To see more of her art online, please
visit www.kjcalhounsart.com.
Calhoun is a professional member of the Galveston Art League, an all-volunteer nonprofit
organization that uses membership fees and modest gallery sales commissions in support of its
activities: hosting low-cost children’s and adult workshops (open to the public), preview gatherings for
new exhibits, maintenance of a busy gallery, and participation in ArtWalks. The Art League also holds an
annual gala to raise funds supporting its mission to promote visual arts and art education in Galveston
County and the wider region.
To learn more about the Galveston Art League, including membership levels for artists and non-
artists and a schedule of events, please visit www.GalvestonArtLeague.com or email
[email protected].