Karen Simkiss will have her Polaroid manipulated photographic work on display at AAFC from August 10th to October 5th, 2016. She will be attending the HDYSG? reception on August 19 and would love to explore the ideas of her work with you! She also has an encaustic in the HDYSG? exhibit.

Karen has been painting and exhibiting her art work for the past thirty-five years. She has taught art for twenty-five years in many different arenas.Her students have ranged from pre-school to adults.  She has been an instructor in public and private schools and taught private lessons in and around Colorado and Santa Fe, New Mexico. Presently Karen is teaching art and photography at St. Mary’s High School in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

“I am interested in any medium that involves processes! This is how  fell in love with Polaroid Photography.

In 1948, Edwin H. Land introduced the Polaroid Land Camera. The story goes he was walking with his daughter taking pictures and she wanted to know why she couldn’t see the pictures right away. So, Land invented a camera that was based on traditional photography; however, it was the first instant print camera. Sometime after the invention a golfer was taking pictures whild out on the golf course. He shoved the photo into his pocket with some tees and when he got home the tees had marked the photo. The emulsion stayed soft enough to manipulate for up to 4 hours. While the golfer thought the photo was ruined, the artist grabbed onto this new process.

I don’t know for sure if the golfer story is true but since I am a golfer and artist, I like to believe it is! When I learnt the process I did do my manipulations with a golf tee.”