Excerpt from The Connection Article By Megan McDonough
Connection Staff Writer
August 9, 2007
For artist Karen K. Ching art is more than a replication; it is about recreating the vision. Ching, a resident of Fairfax Station, presents her impressionistic styled paintings at The Vienna Arts Center this month. Her collection entitled, “Spring into Summer,” features paintings focusing on landscapes, seascapes and gardens.
Ching’s paintings are created using watercolor and large contemporary acrylics on canvas. Ching finds nature especially inspiring. “I just enjoy painting what I see,” she said. “Once I look at the image I’m interested in, the painting takes on its own life through color and balance.”
Many of Ching’s paintings are of places in Hawaii, Germany and her garden at home. Using blues, purples and browns, she hopes to make people feel relaxed and happy as they look at her artwork. “These are seasonal things, but you should be able to enjoy that feeling all year, Ching said about her collection. “I love to be surrounded by my ocean paintings, and my flower paintings because that’s who I am.”
Another important goal for Ching is having the viewer feel personally connected to the painting. “The interesting thing is, with titling paintings, I try to be very generic,” Ching explained. “One of the things I like about impressionism is that it gives you the opportunity as the viewer to take the painting where you now want to take it.”
Evoking positive memories and emotions from her viewers is an exciting part of Ching’s job. “When people are attracted to the pictures, they’re not attracted to my experience with it. They have their own experience that they can relate to.”
Originally from Baltimore, Ching took private art lessons as a child. She later graduated from James Madison University with degrees in Business and Art. Ching now paints full time. Several of her paintings hang in private collections in both the United States and Germany.
Ching is very committed to art in her local community, choosing to participate in the Artist’s Palette Project to raise funds for the Lorton Arts’ Foundation. She has also been a devoted member of the Loft Gallery in Occoquan since 2001, a member of the Springfield Art Guild, the Vienna Arts Society, and the Arts Council of Fairfax County.
Karen is looking forward to traveling to France, where she plans to gain inspiration for her next feature, entitled “The French Countryside” opening in November 2007.