An aristic Odyssey: Karen Stene's love of travel and passion for the sea is translated in her colorful, romantic work - Karen Stene

The halcyon of the seas beckoned to artist Karen Stene. So she built a boat. With a shipmate in tow, she embarked on the open seas in search of adventure. Unlike many seafaring adventurers before her, she was not in search of booty. Rather, she wanted to share her experiences with land-bound folk by documenting them on canvas.

Stene's sense of adventure and love of the seas comes from her childhood in Vancouver, British Colombia, where boating was a regular pastime. "Vancouver has the free spirit of the eagle because of its ocean, mountains, gorgeous flowers and the passion for nature its citizens all have there. I just feel as though I was born into art, and from that, my life has become art" Stene said.

To say she grew up in an artistic household would be an understatement. "We've got three architects, two opera singers, professional photographers, professional musicians and interior designers. That's just my immediate family," she laughed. "There was never any pressure, always support. I didn't really appreciate it until I was older and looking back" she added.

The self-taught artist graduated from the University of British Colombia with a degree in education, choosing to take only a few art courses during her time there. In spite of that lack of formal training, Stene has pursued and achieved a successful career in the arts through her self-taught methods. She said, "I am self taught just by painting so much. I paint every day when I'm not traveling, and my technique gets better by experimenting."

Indeed, Stene's humble beginnings in the art world were in fact not so humble. "I actually got really lucky. As soon as I approached a gallery, I sold my work. I got a publisher in less than two years, and I wasn't even looking for one. It was great, but I think it's taken this long in my life to put all my adventures together and create on canvas," she said.

Today, Stene's work is published by New River Publishing, and she continues to learn and improve her technique after each adventure. She has traveled to Alaska, the Caribbean, the West Coast of the United States and across the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean, all by boat. She has also traveled to Turkey, India and Thailand. "I was born with that adventurer's spirit, and what better, more dramatic way to travel around, then by boat? It was a very exciting way of traveling. I document all my adventures through my paint," she said.

One of her most memorable experiences, and one that has inspired much of her work since, was a visit to Mallorca by boat. "We were invited into this old Mallorcan home," she explained. "The owner had this great garden, and we had a great party. I could not wait to get back to paint it. As I paint today, my head keeps going back to that experience. I actually lived in it, so it becomes more of my soul and it never leaves me. That's probably why I'm so inspired all the time" she added.

While Stene's artistic process may seem well thought-out upon looking at her intricate scenes, she said there is no planning involved--she just begins when she is struck by inspiration. "I think of what size I'm going to make, then I cut a piece of canvas, I staple it onto the wall and I just start. I never know what I'm going to do. I have an idea of the scene, but I don't know where it's going to end up and I don't know what I'm going to do next. So I sometimes come out with these weird sizes. I look at the composition, and I add a little bit here and take a bit off there, and then I stretch the canvas" she said.

Stene uses all her experiences traveling to piece together a utopia in her paintings, often using water to provide perspective. "People look at my paintings and say, `oh I remember that promenade but I don't remember that ocean being there," she said.

An especially unique feature of Stene's work is the use of gold, silver and bronze leafing in her paintings. "I feel that metallics add the three-dimensional quality which reflects the light. Using the gold, for example, pulls the room into the painting and interacts with the painting. The light kind of moves across the painting. It's almost like the painting becomes a living thing in the room" she said.

Stene said she also enjoys taking commissions from admirers of her work. "I like to please people" she said. "I'm so thrilled they want a piece of my art in their home, and I just want to make them happy. I like to create something from my own passion and life into that piece but it's also something that they are going to identify with and be happy with."

Next, Stene plans to put her recent adventures to work and create some romantic Venice pieces, adding, "I haven't even touched India yet." She said her future holds, "more enjoying life and just being able to document the beauty of the world and all that lovely little fantasy utopia I create."

Stene describes her work as romantic realism--a description not too far removed from her own life."I think I've lived a grand and elegant life, one engrossed in nature, and those are elements in my paintings, which is the romance I guess. The water is the romantic vehicle to transport you to far and distant lands. You always wonder what's beyond the sea." It seems that Karen Stene will continue on that search.

For more information about the artist, call New River Publishing visit www.newriverpublishing.com or call toll-free at 800-527-8835.

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