Karen Safer

Artist Statement

I got a camera and some crayons as a kid, journeyed along a path in life - far from what I'd expected, moved from youth to middle age, did some work, had some fun, got high, got low, and just continue doing it - never tiring of the next visual surprise.

- Life is still a mystery, after all.

I am a photographic artist, documentarian, published writer and poet with a musical bent. As a fifth generation native Angelino, I was given a camera and crayons at 3 and exposed to the dominant California motifs: light, palm trees, the ocean, music and vernacular architecture that helped define and influence my left-handed aesthetic. I was influenced by an artistic father who developed black & white photos in our washroom/turned darkroom and by my mother's love of history, language and thirst for knowledge and travel. Both were dedicated educators. I am a self-described romantic soul with intellectual cravings.

I was fortunate to begin a life of travel as a pre-teen that shaped my love of the exotic, paired with an eye for the formal, accidental and unusual while subliminally seeking the beautiful that jiggled the lens/frame of my eye. From the onset I documented my surroundings and family and friend events. Moving from instamatics to Nikons, I scouted for, or accidentally came upon subjects to dance around and capture. From Kodachrome to digital, the magic of discovery and process have always been the most exciting, satisfying and main events.

I have traveled on all continents and photographed in over 230 countries and territories. I began exhibiting my photography in the 1980s. During COVID I continued photographing from my balcony, dubbed the "Monet of Playa del Rey," and after a 12 year hiatus, I began exhibiting nationally and internationally again. Not quite sure if behind or ahead of the times, I’ve now had over 10 solo shows and 200+ juried and group exhibitions - most recently in London, Rome, Glasgow, Zurich, Budapest, Barcelona, Athens, Prague, Paris, Amsterdam, Belgium, Hawaii, Canada and from California to New York and from Minnesota to Santa Fe, to Florida. Winning over 160 competitions with First, Talent, Merit, Honorable Mention, etc., awards, I’ve been featured in magazines, newspapers, publications, museums and included in public and private collections. Competing currently in exhibitions has stretched and expanded my visual vocabulary.

My art journey began by making floor plans, drawings, painting and printmaking, alongside the study of art and architectural history before wholly embracing photography, with influences from Mesopotamia to Vermeer/Matisse and Atget to Cindy Sherman. I received a bachelor and master’s degree with honors in art from CSULB and UCLA. My art career includes work in design and architecture firms, and I am principle of ArtFocus International. I am a member of numerous art and other organizations including theater and opera and the Los Angeles Art Association, Los Angeles Center for Photography, British Royal Academy of Art, Praxis Photo Gallery, and longtime member of Los Angeles County Museum of Art and founding member of the Museum of Contemporary Art, LA.

Artists are the vessels of expression through which vision passes back to the world. I believe art saves lives and images are powerful in lifting spirit. An image is universal like music - uniting people everywhere regardless of nationality, race or creed. Artists have the whole world - big or small - to capture.