Karen Merkin uses oil paints to create images in a photorealistic style. Her paintings cover a wide variety of subjects including seascapes, still lifes, and figuratives. But her great love is painting classic cars. She often finds them at car shows or sometimes parked on the street. She takes several photographs as references for her studio work, trying to capture the reflections of the surrounding environment especially in the chrome and glass surfaces. She also accepts commissions to paint an owner’s car.

Karen found her love of art in elementary school by copying detailed photos from books. But it wasn’t until she got married that her husband encouraged her to start painting. When her children were young, she ran a successful needlepoint business that resulted in her designs being featured in stores and a national needlepoint catalogue. Now with fewer demands on her time, she is able to devote every day to her love of painting. She improves her skills through workshops with internationally known visiting artists and weekly classes. Her work has been accepted into scores of juried group and solo shows, garnered top prizes at regional exhibitions, and made its way into numerous private collections.