"I BEGAN MY ARTISTIC LIFE AT A VERY YOUNG AGE, BECAME AN ART STUDENT IN JR. HIGH SCHOOL AND CARRIED THAT INTO MY UNIVERSITY STUDIES. I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN AN ARTIST. I HAVE BEEN TRAVELING THE WORLD SINCE I WAS A PRE-TEEN AND HAVE PHOTOGRAPHED SO MANY PLACES AND PEOPLE. MY TRUE PASSION WAS ART AND ARCHITECTURE, AND I BEGAN PHOTOGRAPHING BUILDINGS AND URBAN DETAILS. I NEVER INTENDED TO BE A PORTRAIT ARTIST BUT TRAVELING TO EXOTIC PLACES, I COULDN’T HELP BUT SEE THE BEAUTY IN PEOPLE WHO DRESSED AND STYLED UNIQUELY DIFFERENT AND MORE DECORATIVELY THAN MY LIFESTYLE AFFORDED. IT WAS A SURPRISE TO ME WHEN MY PHOTOGRAPHS OF PEOPLE (NEVER WESTERNERS) WERE AWARDED PRIZES. I BEGAN GROUPING MY IMAGES OF “EXOTIC” PEOPLE AND CAME UP WITH THIS BODY OF WORK THAT I NOW CALL “CELEBRATION OF THE FEMININE.” I HAVE OVER 500 IMAGES IN THIS SERIES COLLECTED FROM ALL OVER THE GLOBE, AND THEY CONTINUE TO DELIGHT ME WITH THEIR VISUAL BEAUTY AND THE MEMORIES I HOLD DEAR, RECALLING THE INTERACTION WITH ALL THESE LOVELY BEINGS IN THEIR OWN UNIQUE LOCAL SETTINGS. I SEND THEM THANKS AND WARM AFFECTION."
- KAREN SAFER
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ABOUT THE ARTIST
Karen Safer is an international, award-winning photographic artist, published poet, writer, documentarian and native Angelino who was given a camera and crayons at 3 and inspired by California motifs: light, trees, the ocean, architecture, music, movies (living down the street from MGM, Fox, studios, etc.).
She has a master's degree in art and history, a career in design and architecture, celebrated and exhibited in 410+ galleries/museums/books/magazines; traveled to 230+ countries (+territories), won 390+ international and national awards and exhibits monthly at the 825 Gallery in Los Angeles.
She is listed in Who’s Who of Professional Women, Who’s Who in America, WikiAlpha, honored with Julia Margaret Cameron awards; NYC4PA, Dodho Magazine, Black & White Spider awards, a Botticelli International Prize,17th Annual International COLOR awards, National Photographic Society awards, etc. and featured in solo and group exhibits in Athens, Budapest, Barcelona, Paris, London, Glasgow, Rome, Florence, Berlin, Canada, Dubai, Sao Paulo, Tokyo, etc. and from Chicago to Santa Fe, California to New York. She is a member of International Art Association (IAA-USA), Los Angeles Art Association, LA Center for Photography, Praxis Photo Center Minneapolis, Sasse Museum, LACMA, MOCA, etc.
"I am a photographic & multi-media artist and poet living at edge of the Pacific Ocean who was given camera & crayons at 3, exposed to California motifs, loved art, architecture and music. I have a master’s art degree, minor in music, career in design/architecture with worldwide exhibits in over 100 venues, 410+ shows with 380+ awards and traveled to 230+ countries/territories.
I was born to creative, scholarly-minded parents who encouraged art and world travel and was greatly influenced by my dad’s amateur calligraphy and photography (he developed black & white photos in our back washroom) and my mother's love of history, language and thirst for knowledge and travel.
I began taking pictures of my family and friends in my youth, studied painting & drawing and history and began developing black & white photos in college. I am a student of the universe – art, architecture, history, philosophy, literature, film, music, the stars and heavily influenced by everything from the ancient Assyrians to Vermeer to Van Gogh, from Atget to Cindy Sherman. I embrace the natural and urban environments and drink in color in all its vibrance while I venerate black & white. I am a “romantic soul” with intellectual cravings now living in a digital world."
