Karen Swenholt is a figurative sculptor who lives and works in Northern Virginia. Independently practicing her art for over twenty years, she continues to study at various studio schools including New York City’s New York Studio School, under Bruce Gagnier, Virginia’s Art League, the California College of Arts and Crafts and the Maryland Institute. The combined influences of the bright, loosely painted figurative work of Bay Area artists with the emotional power of abstract expressionism from her East Coast studies and origins have formed the foundation of Swenholt’s work today. The rough painterly surfaces of her sculptures pleasingly contrast with their grace. She is particularly effective in depicting the human face along with gesture to convey emotion and movement. Karen Swenholt is presently the Artist in Residence at Washington Shakespeare Company. She is a member of the National Sculpture Society and the Washington Sculptor Group. She is also a board member at the Anacostia Gracious Arts Program for under-privileged children under the instruction of professional artists and musicians. Her work can be found in many public and private collections including the home of Bono (U2); The House of Scientists, an historic Romanov palace in St. Petersburg, Russia; and churches in LaJolla, California and Portland, Maine. Karen Swenholt’s sculpture is represented by Foxhall Gallery in Washington DC and the Allen Sheppard Gallery in New York City.