Karen Straight
BigSkyFiberArts.com karenstraight.comSUPERPOWERS:
- Creativity Facilitator
- Joyous Fiber Artist
Karen Straight is a fiber artist with a passion for "painting" wildlife and landscapes with wool. Her work has been featured in galleries in NW Montana, including Eric Thorsen's Gallery, Paint Metal & Mud, Bigfork Art & Cultural Center, and the Walking Man Frame Shop and Gallery. She recently won the First Place People's Choice Award for her felted painting of an orangutan, "Tell Me All About It," in the 2023 Hockaday Museum Members Salon Exhibit.
Inspired by the beauty of the landscape around her and the art community in the area, Karen finds meaning and enjoyment in rendering the beauty of animals and nature. She loves wool's sculptural and textural qualities as these characteristics naturally lend themselves to fur, texture, and the inclusion of unexpected elements. In 2015, she opened Big Sky Fiber Arts, an online store offering felting supplies and educational opportunities and never looked back.
She joyfully embraces the opportunity to connect with others through art and share the knowledge she has gained through happy experimentation. With her clear teaching style, she shares essential tips and techniques so her students can confidently acquire new skills. Her no-rules approach encourages students to embrace fiber's painterly and sculptural qualities while integrating diverse materials into their art in unexpected and personal ways.