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Karen Vance Biography
Karen Vance was born in Chicago into the Swartwout family of artists, of six generations. Her upbringing and education; the Art Institute of Chicago, Village Art School with the late Joe Abbrescia, in Skokie, Illinois, Northern Illinois University, Denver Art Student's League and numerous studies with many of the finest living painters; Carolyn Anderson, Clyde Aspevig, Scott Christensen, Mark Daley, Quang Ho, David Leffel, T.L. Lawson, Michael Lynch, William Reese, Richard Schmid, Burton Silverman and Michael Workman, to name a few, brought her to her passion and profession.
Vance's art career includes twelve years as a graphic artist and the past twenty-four years creating fine art professionally. Karen's paintings are in the permanent collections of Buffalo Bill Historical Museum, Whitney Gallery of Western Art, The University of Denver, Wells Fargo Bank of Denver, First Interstate Bank of Wyoming and Montana, Winter Park Resort, the Winter Park Arlberg Club, Devil's Thumb Ranch Resort and in notable private collections including, fellow artists; Quang Ho, Hollis Williford and Russell Chatham. Vance is a member of the National Arts Club, and California Art Club, a Signature Member of the National Academy of Professional Plein Air Painters, Emeritus Signature Member of Rocky Mountain Plein Air Painters, and is a Master Signature Member of American Women Artists and Plein Air Painters of Colorado.
Karen has had feature articles in Art of the West, Southwest Art, Wildlife Art, Artist's, InForm Art, Western Art Collector Magazines and in the books, "Enchanted Isle: The History of Plein Air Painting on Santa Catalina Island" and on the cover of "Landscapes of Colorado," by Ann Daley of the Denver Art Museum. "Dust on my Shoes, Sun at my Back" by Deborah Chapin. In February of 2007 Karen received a 75+ painting commission from Bob and Suzanne Fanch. This group of paintings will depict images of Grand County, Colorado and will be permanently installed at the Devil's Thumb Ranch Resort, ten miles North of Winter Park, Colorado, where Vance resides.
Awards and Exhibitions
William E. Weiss Purchase Award – Buffalo Bill Cody Whitney Museum of Western Art
Best Painting Award – Buffalo Bill Cody Show and Auction
People's Choice Award – Buffalo Bill Cody Show and Auction
People's Choice Award – C. M. Russell Show and Auction Arlene Hooker Fay Memorial Award – C. M. Russell Show and Auction
Best of Show – Rocky Mountain Plein Air Painter's National Invitational
Director's Award – Rocky Mountain Plein Air Painter's National Invitational
Publisher's Choice Award – Rocky Mountain Plein Air Painter's National Invitational
Best of Show – Nomades Del Arte
Best of Show – Colorado Governor's Invitational – Loveland Art Museum
Buffalo Bill Historical Center – Teaching Grant
Plein Air Painter's of America – Catalina Island, California – Guest Artist Award
"A Natural World Observed" – National Arts Club, New York, New York
University of Tulsa – Swartwout Family Exhibition
American Art in Miniature – Gilcrease Museum, Tulsa, Oklahoma
Brandford Brinton Museum – Biennial Exhibition, Big Horn, Wyoming
Bradford Brinton Museum – "Ladies Choice" Exhibition
Denver History Museum, Denver, Colorado – Arts for Education Exhibition
Hockaday Museum, Kalispell, Montana – Annual Exhibition
Tweed Museum of Art "A Natural World Observed" – Duluth, Minnesota
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