Director’s Gallery: The Gods at Mardi Gras by Karen Schaaf

Craven Arts Council & Gallery is proud to present The Gods at Mardi Gras by internationally awarded artist Karen Noll Schaaf. This exhibition will be displayed in the Director’s Gallery for the month of December. The opening reception will be during the ArtWalk on December 13th from 5 – 8 pm at the Bank of the Arts.

The Gods at Mardi Gras is a series of ten original watercolor paintings created by artist Karen Schaaf. This series features ten watercolor works painted on Aquabord, a clay surface that replicates techniques utilized by artisans such as Michelangelo and Raphael of the Italian Renaissance.

Karen Schaaf uses transparent watercolors to express the beauty of the human experience as well as capturing the unique life moments of her portrait subjects. Her work is currently showcased in Splash 25: The Best of Watercolor, a special issue of Artists Magazine recognizing the world’s best watercolor artists. Schaaf earned her Fine Arts degree at the University of Maryland, and her master’s degree in Instructional Design at Virginia Tech. Additionally, Schaaf co-hosts Watercolor-Drop In courses once a month on Thursdays at the Harrison Center, located downtown New Bern.

A reception for The Gods at Mardi Gras will be hosted at the Bank of the Arts on Artwalk December 13th from 5 – 8 pm. The Craven Arts Council & Gallery is free and open to the public Tuesday through Saturday from 10 am to 5 pm.