Karen Jordan Allen Art Collections
Shop for artwork from Karen Jordan Allen based on themed collections. Each image may be purchased as a canvas print, framed print, metal print, and more! Every purchase comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Artwork by Karen Jordan Allen
Each image may be purchased as a canvas print, framed print, metal print, and more! Every purchase comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Flowers in Paradise by Karen Jordan Allen
Blue Violet Galaxy by Karen Jordan Allen
Journey to the Center of the Ice by Karen Jordan Allen
Hearts Aflutter by Karen Jordan Allen
Blue-Eyed Star by Karen Jordan Allen
PInk Summer Star by Karen Jordan Allen
May Basket by Karen Jordan Allen
September in New England by Karen Jordan Allen
February Thaw I by Karen Jordan Allen
Gaia's May Roundelay by Karen Jordan Allen
Dandelion Firmament by Karen Jordan Allen
Harbinger of Snow by Karen Jordan Allen
Crown of Bees by Karen Jordan Allen
Moths in the Garden by Karen Jordan Allen
Lupine Spindle Whorl by Karen Jordan Allen
Bean Blossom Mandala by Karen Jordan Allen
Narcissus Reflected in a Tulip by Karen Jordan Allen
Blue Gentian Lattice by Karen Jordan Allen
Milkweed Pod Star by Karen Jordan Allen
Lady's Slipper Filigree by Karen Jordan Allen
Mossy Landscape by Karen Jordan Allen
Dreaming Buddhas by Karen Jordan Allen
Dancing Hearts Mandala by Karen Jordan Allen
Rainy Day Dreams by Karen Jordan Allen
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About Karen Jordan Allen
I have always approached life as a creative person – I have been writing stories and playing the piano since I was a child – but to suddenly become a practicing photographer has been a surprise. Perhaps it should not have been. I have always enjoyed taking pictures and making things. When I was young I drew and photographed our native Indiana wildflowers. I dabbled in basketry, ceramics, and painting. A six-year veteran of 4-H sewing projects, I made many of my own clothes. My father was an amateur photographer, and while I never learned to use his beloved Canon, I did like taking my own snapshots (my first camera was a Brownie with a flip-up top). In my late twenties, I worked at the Portland (Maine) School of Art as the admissions office manager. I enjoyed seeing all the students come in with their portfolios and took an evening ceramics class. But I did not seriously imagine myself as a visual artist.
It was not until I became the mother of one of the most artistic people I know – my daughter – that I was drawn back into photography. She took to photography like she had been born with a camera in her hand. When I went out with her on a photo walk, I couldn't resist taking pictures of my own. I did not expect to do anything more than post a few on Facebook, until I took a picture of spring leaves that I loved. As a photograph, it was nothing special, but the leaves were full of colors and shapes that captured my imagination. Working at my computer, I figured out how to isolate, multiply, and whirl the leaves into a lovely mandala. Then I experimented with another photo, and another. The colors and patterns that emerged astonished me. I was hooked. For the next several months I took photos and played with them obsessively. I began to exhibit my photographs locally and sell them at arts and crafts fairs alongside my daughter's fine nature photographs. When my work was accepted into a juried show, I was overjoyed.
Now my search for hidden visual qualities is a constant treasure hunt. I take special pleasure in discovering interesting patterns in natural objects such as dead leaves, fungi, or wilted flowers that might not catch the eye in their plain state. While I work most often with images from nature, I also photograph man-made objects, particularly those which are broken, sculptural, or just old. As I work with each image, I look for patterns that do justice to both the feeling and the visual intricacies of the object. Recently I have focused on creating nature mandalas, an exercise I find artistically and spiritually satisfying. While I take most of my photos in Maine, where I now live -- a wonderful home for a photographer! -- I also use photos taken on visits to the Midwest, Canada, and elsewhere. I never know where I will find my next intriguing image!