Karen Nunley

I Guess That’s Why They Call It the Blues

mixed media

12″ x 12″

2024

Everyone has to work through periods of loss and loneliness. Art and music are my tools.

@kmcnun

Karen Nunley

Rice Bowls

Inspired by: Mixteca-Puebla Artist, Tripod Bowl Unknown Artist, English Teapot

collage, acrylic, ink, pastel on paper

22 1/2″ x 18″ (unframed) 31″ x 25″ (framed)

2024

Viewing the Mixteca-Puebla tripod bowl, I knew my piece would be about vessels. Vessels to hold food and drink range from plain utilitarian bowls to Fitchburg’s ornate English teapot. The teapot and design inside the bowl pushed me to include patterning. As I worked, an Asian theme developed, probably influenced by the Chinese pattern on the teapot, and rice bowls emerged. I liked this idea, as over half of the world’s population depends on rice as a staple in their diet. I am fortunate not only to own several rice bowls, but also to have enough food to fill them.

@kmcnun

Karen Nunley

In Bethlehem

mixed media

12″ x 12″

2022

“In Bethlehem” is a mixed media piece that pays homage to the Palestinian city surrounded by the country of Israel. To enter the city, coming from Jerusalem, one must present papers and pass through checkpoints with armed guards. The celebrated site of Jesus’ birth is in a grotto under the Church of the Nativity. I expected the scene to be serene, but it bustled with tourists and shops. My choice of clashing colors and confusion around an image of Madonna and child are meant to show the city within a hostile land, as well as activity around the holy site.

@kmcnun