Bio
Karen Lantner is a prize-winning Figurative Realist artist based in Rockville, MD. She is a 2020 graduate of the Master Artist Program at The Compass Atelier in Rockville. This intensive three-year program covers drawing, color theory, anatomy and Old Master painting techniques, leading to a mastery of oil painting. Lantner has also studied at the Yellow Barn in Glen Echo, MD, as well as the Hanoi Fine Arts University, Hanoi, Viet Nam, and the Flemish Classical Atelier, Bruges, Belgium.
Lantner is a member of the Portrait Society of America, the Montgomery Art Association, and the Rockville Art League. She has exhibited her paintings at Strathmore Mansion, Bethesda, MD; the Goldman Gallery, Rockville, MD; Artists & Makers Studios, Rockville, MD; and Glenview Mansion, Rockville, MD.
She is also a photographer, and her photographs hang in the American Embassy in Niamey, Niger, and the American Cultural Center in Hanoi.
Lantner has traveled all over the world, and has lived in Africa, Asia, Europe, and South America, as well as the US.
Artist Statement
I have been fortunate to have lived on five continents -- Africa, Asia, Europe, North and South America -- and it is from these experiences that I draw my inspiration. Bringing an international sensibility to my work, I am passionate about human emotions and the relationships between people. These links are universal.
I am a Figurative Realist, creating realistic paintings with details that draw the viewer into the scene. My figure paintings portray the universality of connections between people or emotions felt by people all over the world. They portray our outer feelings, and hint at our inner feelings, to reveal our essential humanity. All of us feel different emotions at different times, and these feelings are often reflected by the expression on our face or our body language. Sometimes we can observe our own emotions simply by gazing into a mirror. I bring an attention to detail, color and narrative that imbue my paintings with a depth and beauty that reveal themselves gradually.
In my work I portray feelings of pride, family love, confidence, fear, shared experience -- all these can be found on every continent, from a backyard in Boston to the middle of the Sahara Desert, and even within my own family. During my three years in Hanoi, I watched ladies march with their flags during the White Horse Festival, exuding the pride and satisfaction of maintaining their long traditions, The confident manner of the Geisha, or the mystique of the turbaned Tuareg -- all appear in my work.
We all wear masks, not literally but figuratively. We rarely show to the world everything we are thinking or feeling. We adopt a persona that suits us for the day, or the week, and that is how we respond to other people or experiences. As children, we try on different masks to see if they are right for us. And as tweens or teens, we have angst about how others see us – our peers, parents, teachers, even strangers. It’s important to fit in, to wear the types of clothes our friends are wearing, but inside we may be brimming with crazy ideas and wild thoughts.
Recently I have been inspired by a quote from the great jazz singer Nina Simone: “An artist’s duty is to reflect the times.” In my series of paintings titled “The Challenges of Childhood” I depict some of the stresses on children, especially in these difficult times. Yes, childhood is a special time, but it is far from stress-free. The pressures of social media bombard today’s teens. We all remember middle school and how uncertain we felt, often feeling unbalanced, teetering on the edge of adulthood. Dealing with siblings is often fraught with tension. Peer pressure, especially for a young teen, can influence how he dresses – in jeans and a gray sweatshirt to fit in – but inside perhaps he is all bright colors and wild angles. And limiting a child’s screen time is essential. Finally, a child may feel free of care, but there are menaces out there nevertheless. I sometimes use graffiti to hint at the inner life.
I care deeply about craftsmanship. I use color, light and compositional elements to create drama. Then I work many hours on each painting, adding detail after detail, until the finished product is a believable portrait of one person, two people or a group of people. The viewer is invited to simply enjoy the story or the color palette, or to step into the picture to relate more closely with the subject or subjects.
Resume
Education
Graduate of the Master Artist Program at The Compass Atelier in Rockville, MD 2020
Studied traditional painting techniques at the Flemish Classical Atelier, Bruges, Belgium 2019
Studied oil painting at The Compass Atelier, various classes and workshops
Studied Anatomical Drawing with Roberto Osti
Studied traditional Vietnamese lacquer painting at the Hanoi Fine Arts University, Hanoi, Viet Nam, 2004-2007
Member of the Portrait Society of America, the Montgomery Art Association and the Rockville Art League
Awards
First Prize - “Lost, Found & Looking Forward” City of Rockville & Rockville Art League, March - May 2022. Juror: Therese Capal
Honorable Mention - Montgomery Art Association Portraits Exhibit 2020. Juror: Kevin King
Honorable Mention - “Paint the Town Art Show 2019” Montgomery Art Association, Kensington Armory, Kensington, MD Sep 2019. Juror: Glen Kessler, The Compass Atelier.
Solo Exhibition
Signal Financial, January 2021 virtual show
Group Exhibitions
“It’s March — MAA Celebrates Women’s Art” Montgomery Art Association juried show Feb-Mar 2024. Juror: Carol Lee Thompson
“Prism: 32nd Strathmore Annual Juried Exhibition” Strathmore Mansion juried show Feb 2024. Jurors: Zoma Wallace and Glen Kessler
“Portraits: Creatures Great or Small” Rockville Art League juried show Feb 2024. Juror: Maud Taber-Thomas
“Juried Members Winter Show” Rockville Art League juried show Jan 2024. Juror: Palden Hamilton
“Old Bowie Celebrates” City of Bowie, MD, juried show Oct 2023
“Paint the Town Art Show 2023” Montgomery Art Association, Kensington Armory juried show, Kensington, MD Sep 2023. Juror: Sumita Kim
“Heart of Winter” Rockville Art League juried show Feb 2023
“Sunflowers” Rockville Art League juried show July 2022
“Bowie Art Show” juried show July 2022
“Light and Hope” Montgomery Art Association virtual juried show Feb 2021
“Gifted” Montgomery Art Association juried show Dec 2021
“Portraits Exhibit” Montgomery Art Association juried show 2020
“Winter Member Show” Rockville Art League, Glenview Mansion juried show, Rockville, MD 2020
“Paint the Town Art Show 2019” Montgomery Art Association, Kensington Armory, Kensington, MD 2019
“Spring Member Show” Rockville Art League, Glenview Mansion juried show, Rockville, MD 2019
“Reflections” City of Bowie Arts Committee juried show, Bowie, MD 2019
“At 4(Four)” Artists & Makers Studios, Rockville, MD 2019
“Lavendar Fields Forever” Artists & Makers 2, Rockville, MD 2018
“At 3(Three)” Artists & Makers Studios, Rockville, MD 2018
“Artomatic” Potomac, MD 2018
Permanent exhibition of photographs in the American Embassy in Niamey, Niger (2002 - present), and the American Cultural Center in Hanoi, Viet Nam (2005 - present).