A painting of LaValley’s backyard garden. Credit: Karen LaValley
Joshua Tree National Park in California; Sedona, Arizona; South Padre Island, Texas; and even her own backyard: all of these places have sparked Karen LaValley’s imagination and inspired her to paint.
LaValley, a Westerville-based artist and Ohio State fine arts alumna, has spent many years pursuing her passion for fine arts professionally. She said her favorite subjects to paint are full of life, such as landscapes painted “en plein air,” or outdoors on location, as well as people.
“I love seeing things that all of a sudden, they just grab me,” LaValley said. “I think, ‘Oh, that’s so beautiful. Maybe I can try to capture that in the moment.’ ”
For LaValley, these moments, though beautiful, are rarely perfect. She said her paintings are marked by a desire to capture the beauty in all things, even if they are not traditionally viewed as such.
“The things that inspire me are things that are not so pristine. I like wild-looking things. I paint weeds if they’re pretty colors, or flowers that aren’t super groomed,” LaValley said. “I don’t think painting the most beautiful people is always the important thing — it’s trying to get the essence of someone.”
LaValley said painting these “wild-looking things,” though rewarding for her, can also be challenging, especially when the subject is outdoors. Oftentimes, the original landscape she begins a painting with will quickly disappear as the sun moves in the sky, LaValley said. Despite the shifting shadows and lights, she said she has to try to capture that initial moment.
LaValley’s artistic process is never the same for any two paintings. She said when she paints outdoors, her first step is to set up a viewfinder that helps her isolate the composition. She then sketches the scene loosely before gradually working from broader to smaller shapes until it becomes like a picture.
“Towards the end, it’s harder because you have to make decisions to finalize the painting,” LaValley said. “That’s a very crucial piece. The whole process of putting it together is very fun, but then we really have to make the big decisions. It is fulfilling when it works out, and not very fulfilling when it doesn’t.”
LaValley’s work has not only had an impact on her life, but also on the lives of others. Sharon McClurg Swedlow, LaValley’s childhood best friend and a fellow Ohio State alumna, said she has filled her home with LaValley’s paintings.
“I’m surrounded by her work, and I’m constantly not just inspired by what I see, but by what it means to me in our life’s journey,” McClurg Swedlow said.
McClurg Swedlow said LaValley has often used her talents to capture special moments for the people around her. She was gifted a painting by LaValley of her holding her first biological grandchild, which she said is still incredibly meaningful to this day. McClurg Swedlow said LaValley has also painted several family dogs after they passed away and gifted the paintings to their owners.
“It’s not just a picture, it’s a picture that Karen painted,” McClurg Swedlow said. “That’s special.”
Although LaValley enjoys creating art that is meaningful to others, she said she also enjoys creating art that makes people think.
“My one friend said she got a new appreciation for weeds by looking at one of my paintings,” LaValley said. “I like to make people think about what they see and make them look more closely at their surroundings. I think I’ve impacted people in that way.”
LaValley’s art can be found in the Sharon Weiss Gallery located at 20 E. Lincoln St. More information can be found on the gallery’s website.
