Made in West Hartford: Pastels by Karen Israel
- Tracey Weiss
- 1 day ago
- 4 min read
WRITTEN BY Tracey Weiss Photography submitted
Looking for that perfect gift for a friend or family member? A piece of art that moves you?
You don’t have to go far to find something you’ll love. There are so many talented people right here in West Hartford that may have just what you’re looking for. Here, we bring you one of those folks.
If every picture tells a story, then Karen Israel’s work speaks volumes. The artist, who works mostly with pastels, has a way of capturing just the right moment with her paintings, evoking the desire to tell a different tale each time you look at it.
One painting, appropriately titled “A Million Stories,” depicts two young women crossing the street. The back stories are endless.
“Skimming the Surface” shows what is presumably a grandfather talking to his grandson. What they are discussing is up to the observer.
Israel’s artist statement speaks to the way she uses pastels. “While painting, I strive to create an emotional experience for the viewer. I want my viewers to experience a sense of discovery. Each painting is a carefully constructed dialogue between form and color, where the rigors of formal design serve as the backbone for my artistic expression. I believe that every subject possesses its own inherent narrative, and it is my mission to render these stories with depth and emotion. My paintings tell stories that resonate deeply with my own experiences and reflections. I hope that my work serves as a mirror, reflecting the diverse stories of those who encounter it, and inspiring a dialogue that transcends the surface.”
Unlike a lot of artists, Israel has not been creating art since she was a child. In fact, she had a successful career as a physical therapist.
Raised in East Meadow, Long Island, Israel has lived in the home where she raised her daughters, Rebecca and Jenna, with late husband Jonathan Israel, for 35 years. Now, “the whole house is my studio,” she joked. Indeed, paintings line the walls and lean up against the walls, since she is constantly rotating her work for the various shows and exhibits she participates in.
And even though she wasn’t an artist, she was good at decorating and knitting. “A friend of mine worked for the West Hartford Art League and told me, ‘you’re good at crafts, you have an eye. You should take a class,’” she said.
She tried watercolor. “I enjoyed it. I studied with (a national award-winning artist and illustrator) Bob Noreika. He was encouraging. I produced a few watercolors that were okay. I got somewhat proficient with watercolor. I still couldn’t draw. Then I tried acrylic then, oil…then I took a class in pastel at Elmwood.” That was the magic formula.
“You have the sticks in your hand,” she said. “You can mix color on paper and layer to get colors.”
From there, her art and her career overlapped. She cut back on physical therapy work in 2011, working and painting part time.
“I went to pastel camp. I did workshops and demonstrations. I learned a lot,” she added. “I set goals and built a resume. I needed to prove myself.”
Israel began to study with artists all over the country, including Richard McKinley, Christine Ivers, Frank Federico, Claudia Seymour, Jeanne Rosier-Smith, Liz Heywood-Sullivan, Art Students League, NYC with Max Ginsburg, Costa Vavagaikis and Ellen Eagle; Wethersfield Art Academy with Kathryn Engberg and Doug Gillette
She became a designated member of many local and international organizations, including the International Association of Pastel Society, American Artist Professional League, Pastel Society of America, Pastel Society of the West Coast, Connecticut Academy of Fine Art, and New Haven Paint and Clay Club, among others.
She’s won too many awards and exhibited at too many galleries, clubs and leagues to even list, but of the many are First Place at the Salmagundi Club in New York City, The Central Mass Pastel Society Award, Best in Show at the Pastel Society of the West Coast International Gold Medal of Honor, Audubon Artists National, and more.
Karen's work has been included in a traveling exhibit at the Lyman Allyn Museum, the New Haven Museum and the Connecticut River Museum. Her work is part of the permanent collection at New Haven Paint and Clay Club.
She’s also been featured in the journal publications Practique Des Arts and Pastel Journal Magazine; in the website publications Let’s Go Arts, Realartrealartists, and Artsy Shark.
And she has also discovered she loves teaching and teaches at the West Hartford Art League, Farmington Valley Arts Center and Glastonbury Art Guild, Connecticut Pastel Society, New Haven Paint and Clay Club, Lyme Art Association and the Pastel Society.
“I understand what people need,” she said. “Most people are teachable and can improve.”
She loves the community she is a part of. “There are less of us pastel artists. It’s a loving generous community,” she said.
And she laughs over the fact that her process can confuse some people. “I paint the whole painting all at once. There’s lot of chaos at first. Then I pull it all together. You can’t fight your own nature.” WHL
Karen Israel’s work can be purchased at the Guilford Art Center in Guilford, Lyme Art Association in Old Lyme, Gallery on the Green in Canton, The White Rabbit in West Hartford, Fisher Gallery and Gift Shop at the Farmington Valley Arts Center in Avon, Copley Society of Art in Boston, Salmagundi Club in New York City.
Coming up:
"Defining Moments", a solo show at Chase Family Gallery, Mandell JCC, West Hartford, (July 7-August 23). There will be a wine and cheese reception on July 9 from 530-7pm.
She is teaching a weekly beginner pastel class at the Farmington Valley Arts Center in Avon starting July 8 and will be teaching at the West Hartford Art League starting Sept 29.
