Series Spotlight - Karen Sylvester

Born in 1965 in the beautiful Caribbean twin isle state of Trinidad & Tobago, artist Karen Sylvester certainly demonstrates her reverence for nature and love for her homeland through her paintings. Having graduated with an A-level certification in Art from Holy Name Convent, Karen was determined to pursue a career in art and set out towards that goal by reading any art books she could lay her hands on, especially books on the European Masters and the early expressionists like Monet and Cézanne. She also studied works of other Trinidadian artists like Cazabon, Hinkson, Leroy Clark, Louison, Mosca and Bryden, which served as an impetus to further refine her skills.

Living in the Caribbean affords Karen all the inspiration she could ever need. The relationship between the earth, sky and water offers her a great challenge and the unspoiled rustic scenes of region make ideal subjects. It is the artist’s hope that she could evoke an awareness of something unnoticed, or forgotten, in our surroundings and that her paintings will invite viewers to move into the scene within the picture frames, only to return with renewed love and respect for our natural environment. Capturing the quiet magnificence of nature’s landscape is the vehicle through which she instructs the viewer to take time out to acknowledge the importance of preserving the very things that sustain us. Her renderings implore the viewer to calm the spirit and rest the soul by absorbing the therapeutic qualities nature continuously provides.