At Home With RI Artist Karen Roarke - Inside Art With Michael Rose

At Home With RI Artist Karen Roarke - Inside Art With Michael Rose

 

Few artists can boast a home studio as impressive as Middletown-based painter Karen Roarke. In a bright and gallery-like space that takes up the entire second floor of her house, Roarke makes paintings that combine a sensitivity for atmosphere with an immersive and magnetic quality that is enviable. On September 15, Roarke will open her studio to visitors during Design Week RI, welcoming neighbors from across the state into her remarkable creative space to see her equally intriguing paintings.

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A born Rhode Islander, Roarke was raised in Cranston but spent a great deal of time away from her home state. She completed her BA in Studio Art from Boston College and then relocated to California, where she earned an MA in Drawing and Painting from California State University, Fullerton and an MFA from Claremont Graduate University. After being out west she spent several years living in a loft in New York City before she and her young family moved back to the Ocean State in the late 90’s. In her time living in Middletown, she and her husband have transformed a modest ranch house into a stunning art-focused home.

 

 

Roarke’s paintings blend abstraction with natural inspiration. They have a hypnotic quality and draw in the eye with repeating patterns and shapes. Something meditative is at play. In some of her artworks, there is evidence of the scattered light that comes when bright sunlight flashes through leafy trees. In others, the suggestions of space and texture are more subtle but no less appealing. Roarke also actively explores scale. Some of her paintings are nearly floor-to-ceiling, while others are intimate.

 

An experienced exhibitor, Roarke has been sharing her work in galleries for nearly four decades. Her first solo show was in 1987. She has participated in group exhibitions in galleries located everywhere from Los Angeles to Seoul, South Korea. Her work has also entered important corporate collections, including those of Fidelity Investments and Nestlé. In addition to her accomplishments as a fine art painter, Roarke enjoys a career as a professional scenic artist who has worked on some of the film and television productions that have come to the region in recent years.

 

 

Roarke’s home in Middletown is near St. George’s School, where she taught art and directed the school’s Hunter Gallery from 2013 to 2019. Second Beach is just around the corner, too. The atmosphere of this beloved seaside enclave finds its way into the artist’s work.

 

Speaking of how she feels about living and working in Rhode Island, Roarke explains, “I love and am inspired by living here in coastal Rhode Island. The beauty, history, and active lifestyle, especially here on Aquidneck Island, draws visitors from around the world, making it a great mix of people who choose to live here with those who grew up here. RI’s scale allows connections with others to form easily within the arts and culture community throughout the state. I have found the artists and gallerists to be welcoming and supportive.”

 

 

An artist who continues to seek connection, Roarke is active in the community. She is one of dozens of artists who will be opening up their studios during Design Week RI, organized by DesignXRI. Art lovers can visit the painter’s home studio at 26 Renfrew Avenue on Sunday, September 15 from 10am - 2pm. Details on her open studio and others can be found at www.designxri.com. On Thursday, October 24, Roarke will be the subject of Newport Artists Collective’s Salon Series at the Brenton Hotel Library. Visitors will be able to meet her there from 5-7 pm and learn more about her work and creative practice.

 

Asked what she hopes people see when they look at the work, Roarke answers, “I want people to be drawn in and take time in front of my work; to look at the construction of my abstracted compositions and see the layering and mark-making. I hope viewers will appreciate that the color choices and process of painterly application can be as - or more - gratifying as seeking recognizable imagery.”

 

 

Roarke has a remarkable eye for design and is making work that is impactful and beautiful. Looking closely at this artist’s paintings, their intricacies slowly reveal themselves. These artworks encourage those who look at them to savor their details, colors, patterns, and textures. They also evoke a keen appreciation for the artist who created them.

 

Looking forward, Roarke is primed to use her studio to make more exciting paintings. She says of the future, “I have a number of canvases ready for ideas that I’m excited to explore that build upon the works I exhibited this year. I look forward to sharing them as they progress.”

 

Learn more about artist Karen Roarke at her website www.karenroarke.com.