Karen Sander, Artist (Colombia)

Karen has lived two distinct lives, one in the corporate world and another as an artist, she studied at the Art League School in Alexandria, VA and in Cali, Colombia South America. She received her Masters degree in International Business from Southern New Hampshire University along with a Graduate degree in International Business. Karen also studied Composition and Piano Performance with a Concentration in Sound Engineering at Berklee College of Music.

Key take-aways from this interview:

• Follow your passions and try to integrate them in your daily life even if you don’t have a traditional outlet.
• Starting a new life isn’t easy but the rewards more than make-up for it should you be successful in the transition.
• Art is in the eye of the artist and the customer – use a curator to work-out the price.

You can visit Karen’s website at karenjsander.com.

After 30 years of upper management and helping companies grow and prosper – you dropped it all to become an artist. Looking back, is this a dream come true that you wished you had pursued from the beginning or was now simply the right time so that you can concentrate on your craft without having to live the life of a starving artist?

It is a little of both. I started as a pianist but a couple of surgeries in my right hand rapidly killed that dream. Business was my way out to “grow and prosper” as you say, but art was in my veins and when I was free of all responsibilities and I was on my own again, I decided to pursue the life of an artist. The livelihood is not the same for sure, but I enjoy the freedom and expression that art gives me. The music part of my existence I have fulfilled by joining a choir, so I feel totally and completely satisfied with life and my existence.

Business took such a large part of your time over the years, what did you enjoy most about this career and what “artistic flares” did you add to the businesses you worked with? I once had one boss who drew a mural covering her whole office wall over the course of a month just to get some creativity out and help her relax.

My creativity went into the PowerPoint presentations that I presented to various audiences; at one point, I was called the “Queen of PP” LOL. Also many of the company events I created had a “flare” of art in them, making them always more pleasing to the eye of the buyer. By presenting the companies I represented with a little touch of creativity, I was able to win “impossible sales” and awards for those companies.

For me, my creative outlet is designing projects for CNC machines… you prefer using a paintbrush over pixels. What inspires you to create and how does one go about turning their creativity into an affordable lifestyle? I’m sure you have some unique perspective on the “art business” due to your background.

Certainly, there are many ways to go about it, but thus far, I am keeping my energy focused exclusively on my painting. I spend about 2 hours a day making contacts with galleries and museums, with agents and whatnot, but if I vary my time I find myself lost when it comes time to paint.

I really enjoyed your YouTube video and your website karenjsander.com has some awesome work on display. I especially enjoy your underwater scenes… they are so relaxing! I’ve always wondered – how do you go about “booking” an exhibition and what are the general steps you need to take to make it happen? Is it a good method to generate sales or is it just to build-up press for your work and expand your contacts and novelty of your work? What’s in it for you and what’s in it for the person exhibiting your work?

Thank you so much, I have put a lot of effort to make sure and present my work “professionally.”

At the moment, the exhibitions have only been to build my name and get my work exposed to the different public. About your question how to go about getting someone to exhibit your work? Well is a lengthy process that looks more like finding a job. It starts by putting all your information together, website, pictures, etc. and then find a location you may want to exhibit and start submitting your work to all the galleries in that location. In terms of what is it for me, perhaps a sale or two, both exposure to the public and press. The gallery on the other hand gets a commission on sales and the advantage of having an upcoming international artist in their premises.

How do you decide what a painting is worth?

The price I place on my paintings is decided based on the amount of work, materials, packaging, transportation, permits, commissions, and all the expenses that may go into getting a painting from point A to point B. Also, I always pay a curator to help me with the end price so I am not overpriced or underpriced.

Are there any aspects of your previous business life that you miss now that you are full-time into your artistic endeavors?

Yes, most definitely the money and what having it means. But that feeling comes and goes because I feel so much happier as a human being now that when I had a business career and the money that goes with it.

Anything else you’d like to add?

I would like to express what it has meant to me to become an artist: To become an artist is to truly marry a style of life that it is not easy at all. You really must make the commitment and stick with it, learn it, be open to new things everyday… Nothing happens overnight, but I feel that when you do something with your heart, might and soul, things tend to happen magically!