American - Detroit, Michigan

Born in Detroit, Karen Barrow grew up in East Lansing, Michigan, and moved to Tampa, FL in 1981. She lives and works in Naples, FL. She began painting in 2001, having raised her three children. Barrow then attended Ringling College of Art & Design where her painting was selected for The Best of Ringling juried show. She worked as an Associate Curator and Art Director for Naples area galleries while continuing to paint full time. She experimented with a variety of styles, subjects, and mediums, until she developed the bold style of paintings she is known for.

Barrow’s first automotive pieces were inspired by the Oldsmobiles manufactured near her hometown. As collectors began sharing stories of the cars they had owned, she was fascinated by the emotional connection between people and their cars. The freedom of that first car, the one driven to homecoming, the one you always wanted, the one you saw taking the checkered flag—these machines tell the story of one’s life. People, places, and individual history are associated with automobiles that we owned, loved, desired, or fantasized about. In turn, these machines become our historical touchstones. Barrow sometimes reflects that the work is really about people.

She began traveling to Sebring International Raceway for more inspiration. She followed IMSA racing to Road Atlanta, Daytona International Raceway, and Long Beach. Her work was featured at Seven Sebring Hotel, The Boston Cup Classic Car Show, Cars on 5th, Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance, The Monaco Grand Prix, Fiesta New Mexico, and The Chattanooga Motorcar Festival. She has exhibited at galleries and museums in Florida, California, Michigan, Massachusetts, New York, and Monaco. She has collectors throughout the world.

Her paintings layer images from her photographs, stencils, paint, mediums, and auto parts. Barrow brushes and scrapes clear mediums and paint, allowing both careful planning and chance to play equal roles in her artwork. She combines the technology of digital photography and the broad strokes of the action painters to create her own digital expressionism.