To see a selection of my recent drawings, please visit Kaleid Gallery in downtown San Jose - 88 South 4th Street, San Jose, CA 95113.

STATEMENT

Suspended animation, medical curiosities, scientific illustrations and biological specimens. Improbable creatures in impossible situations. These are some of the ideas that I incorporate into my drawings, sculpture, and other artwork. I call them my creatures, because that is what they are - unknown organisms that take shape in my mind, the roots of which come from a lifelong interest in strange biology, microscopic life, the human body, and basically anything else ooey, gooey, creepy, strange or unusual.

The play of fascination vs. repulsion is a strong element in my work, and reflects a trait of the human psyche - people are afraid of disturbing things, yet they are fascinated by them at the same time. Exploiting that tendency in my own imagination, my creatures are simultaneously pretty and disturbing, delicate and hostile, sensuous and icky. They have complex little personalities, showing an almost human set of emotions reacting to whatever unfortunate or awkward situation they find themselves in. Their existence is anxious and turbulent, and alive with unsettled energy.

I have always been drawn to materials with unique textures that invite touch, and my drawings reflect my need for that tactile quality as well, with a very sketchy, almost wiry feel to the pen and ink lines. My process is very spontaneous, and I often start with only a vague idea of what the finished piece will look like as the work evolves and changes and grows. Creating art is my way to express the thoughts, emotions, and fears running through my subconscious, and I am often surprised at how it seeps up to the surface. I hope that the end result will resonate with each viewer in their own way, and that it will connect with elements of their own subconscious.

-Karen Carlo Salinger

RESUME

SELECTED EXHIBITIONS

Works/San Jose, "Works/San Jose Annual Benefit Auction", Group Exhibition, San Jose, California, March 2011.

Works/San Jose, "Ring in the New", Group Exhibition, San Jose, California, December 2010 - January 2011.

Works/San Jose, "My Favorite Nightmares", Group Exhibition, San Jose, California, October - November, 2010.

MOCA, Luther Burbank Center for the Arts, "SubAnatomy", Group Exhibition, Santa Rosa, California, May - July 2005.

James Kaneko Gallery, "Eye Candy Sideshow", Group Exhibition, Sacramento, California, February 2005.

EDAW, "CCA Fall Alumni Exhibition", Group Exhibition, San Francisco, California, October2004 - January 2005.

1 in 30 Gallery, Group Exhibition, San Francisco, California, July - October 2004.

Frank Bette Center for the Arts, "Earth and the Cosmos", Group Exhibition, Alameda, California, April 2004.

The Lola Gallery, "Mischief", Group Exhibition, San Francisco, California, October - November 2003.

Andrea Schwartz Gallery, "CCAC Alumni Exhibition Series", Group Exhibition, San Francisco, California, July 2003.

Liminal Gallery, "Sassy & Surly's Sideshow Spectacular", Group Exhibition, Oakland, California, June 2003.

Works/San Jose, "Relish", Group Exhibition, San Jose, California, May 2003.

Red Devil Lounge, "Viv and a Movie", Group Exhibition, San Francisco, California, April 2003.

Brain Cookies (Melting Point Gallery), "Virus", Group Exhibition, San Francisco, California, December 2002 - January 2003.

Anno Domini, "Namenlosen", Group Exhibition, San Jose, California, December 2002.

Populus Presents, "Phantom Galleries", Window Installation, San Jose, California, November 2002 - January 2003.

Liminal Gallery, "Beginning", Group Exhibition, Oakland, California, July 2002.

Roshambo Gallery+Winery, "Karen Carlo Salinger & Julian Seidl", Two-Person Exhibition, Healdsburg, California, May - June 2002.

Works/San Jose, "Ag: works", Group Exhibition, San Jose, California, March 2002.

Build, "BLoBBy: Angle-Free New Works by Robert Bowen & Karen Carlo Salinger", Two-Person Exhibition, San Francisco, California, July 2001.

Works/San Jose, "Banter", Group Exhibition, San Jose, California, March 2001.

Kensington Art Centre, "...once imagined", Solo Exhibition, Campbell, California, February 2000.

Toki Gallery, "Clay as a Second Language", Group Exhibition, Berkeley, California, November 1998.

Santa Cruz Art League, "Winners' Circle", Group Exhibition, Santa Cruz, California, April 1998.

Santa Cruz Art League, "Out of Order", Group Exhibition, Santa Cruz, California, July 1997.

Steven Oliver Art Center, California College of Arts and Crafts, BFA Exhibition, Oakland, California, May 1997.

Center for the Visual Arts, "The Third Dimension", Group Exhibition, Oakland, California, April 1997.

Sebastopol Center for the Arts, "Into the New Abstract Art", Group Exhibition, Sebastopol, California, February 1997.

Isabel Percy West Gallery, California College of Arts and Crafts, "Below", Solo Graduating BFA Exhibition, Oakland, California, December 1996.

Eastern New Mexico University, "Scene Unseen", Group Exhibition, Portales, New Mexico, November 1996.

RESIDENCIES, HONORS, AND MISC.

Highly Commended Award - Interiors and Artworks Category, 100% Rubber Design Competition 2002, Dalsouple Rubber, Bridgwater, England, July 2002.

Eureka Fellowship Nominee, Fleishhacker Foundation, San Francisco, California, 2002.

Second Art Fund, Silent Gallery, San Francisco, California, November 2001.

Artist in Residence, Works/San Jose,
San Jose, California, December-February 2000/2001.

Merit Award, "Out of Order", Santa Cruz Art League.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Berry, Colin, 'SubAnatomy' and Nathan Lynch at MOCA, Artweek, July/August 2005.

Navat, Sheilah, Out on a Limb in Oakland, SanFranciscoArtMagazine.com, September 2002.

Hacking, Heather, Chico Enterprise-Record, May 3, 1997.

Speight, Charlotte F. and Toki, John, Make it in Clay, Mayfield Publishing Company, 1997.

EDUCATION

California College of the Arts (California College of Arts and Crafts), Oakland, California, BFA, 1997.