Bio

Karen Spencer has traveled the world, photographing people, places and things with her artist’s eye. During her times abroad she discovered that the creativity in photography offered a way to chronicle unique moments in time. She began to photograph images that show us insights into the lives and cultures and histories of people and places. For example, a simple barn door or a half-shuttered window becomes a “portal” that can open one’s imagination to the mysterious life on the other side. Photographs of the sleek lines and shapes of vintage automobiles become keepsake reminders of a glorious time gone by. Poignant photographs of the youngest – and oldest – people evoke emotions that touch our hearts.

Most recently, half of her time is spent in Mexico, recording the polychromatic symphony of color that shows in every aspect of the rich Mexican heritage and its modern culture. “The play of light and shadow in a doorway, the shy smile of a child, the wise eyes of an old woman – these are the images that resonate with me and that I hope to share through the photographs I take.”

Karen was born, raised and schooled in New York City. It was her study of art that first introduced her to photography and led to a fellowship in the photography department of City College of CCNY. Her photographer’s eye for texture, pattern and composition served her well in her long career as a graphic designer and art director for publishing, advertising and sales promotion agencies in New York, New Orleans and Connecticut.

She has exhibited in both Connecticut and Mexico, and her work is in private collections in Connecticut, Florida, Texas, England, Canada and Mexico.