46 - Karen Haas- Portuguese Festival: Princesses

Portuguese Festival: Princesses by Karen Haas (2021) Watercolor on paper, 14" x 22” Work is signed on verso (back) 

For the 2022 ICA San Jose Auction I am presenting examples from a series about a Portugal festival at Five Wounds Church in my neighborhood.  At this festival, community groups gathered from around the Bay Area to parade with costumes and perform rites that seemed mysterious to an outsider. This series is from a body of work in watercolor I have been creating over the past ten years.  In these works, I show people doing things that tell a story or catch a moment.  The theme has been the people of San Jose as they represent themselves in public spaces.   In choosing what to paint, I work from my numerous photos.  I pour over these photos to find the one that particularly distills an experience.  I think my work relates to the art of Amy Sutter in its medium and style and fantasy subject matter.  It relates to Japanese art in its use of space.   In another body of work, using acrylics, I depict some front yards in my neighborhood which are interesting because of their spontaneity and quirkiness. Overall, my aim is to show the variety and energy of our urban lives.  I would like to reach a large audience beyond art enthusiasts.