Artlife I drew and painted quite a bit 20 some years ago, but life had a way of getting in the way and I put away my pens and paints for a very long hiatus. Then, in the spring of 2003, I started keeping a sketchbook again, tentatively and found that I couldn't stop. I started filling journals at a breakneck pace, trying to make up for lost time. Since that time I've filled 14 journals and have eight in various stages of fillage. I'm eclectic in my choices - I like Moleskines, both sketchbooks and Cahier journals ... I like watercolor journals ... I'm fond of the SuperDeluxe Aquabee All Media Sketchbook (no, this is not product placement, I just like it.) And I like the coptic and casebound journals that I've bound myself. Right now (summer 2006) I'm working in an all media journal, a Moleskine and one made of brown recycled paper.

I'm also experimental in my choice of media. Watercolor is my favorite, and I like Winsor and Newton and Holbein paints. When I draw with pens I like my Kuretake brush pen, Rapidoliners, Microns, PITT pens and the occasional bamboo or metal dip pen. For field watercolor sketching a Niji waterbrush and a hand-held portable pallette suits me just fine.

Because we live in a year-round mild climate (Southern California) you'll usually find me sketching and painting at a botanical garden or with plein-air friends. I enjoy botanical subjects, animals and people.

I have challenged myself to do at least one drawing or watercolor sketch a day, and I usually post new art to my blog daily, often with brief explanations about the tools I used and why.

My blog: Karen's Blog

For fun I occasionally like to do mail art and make faux postage on a 100 year old stamp perforator named Rosabelle. I enjoy soft block carving and print-making also.

Worklife: My husband and I own a video production company and enjoy producing documentary, news and informational content. I'm the author of two books - one on advertising and the other on Photoshop.

Homelife Our two children are grown - our son is a senior at UCLA and our daughter is off to get her MBA at Northwestern. We have two pets - Ripley the American Bulldog (frequently featured in my journal) and Foggy the demented cat. Other than drawing and painting I'm passionate about gardening, museum-going, reading and cooking.