Karen Bognar Khan

…was born and raised in a suburb of Pittsburgh, PA. By the time she was in fifth grade she decided to pursue art as a profession. This pursuit led her to Carnegie Mellon University where she studied painting and sculpture, graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1980. From Carnegie Mellon University she developed her skills in abstract painting and sculpture. After graduating she moved to NYC and found her true direction which can only be describe as fusion of real and surreal styles. 

She studied illustration at The Parsons School of Design, and pursued work as a free lance illustrator. Because of her newfound interests in the academic and naturalist traditions of classical art, it became necessary for her to pursue figurative studies at The Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art.  She moved to Philadelphia, PA.  The organized, intense and concise training of The Pennsylvania Academy provided Karen with a deep understanding of anatomy and figurative painting. While in Philadelphia she was represented by the Goforth Rittenhouse Gallery.

 In 1990 she returned home to Pittsburgh, PA. Karen’s work was represented by the Mendelson Gallery, Pgh.  She founded a company called Universal Murals that produced residential and commercial murals and advertising art until 2000.  This work was lucrative but left her with little time for fine art. In 2002 Karen married and decided to devote her time to fine arts painting.

She was drawn to still life painting from the viewpoint of setting up a private world to spend time dwelling in, what could be a close-up landscape. The work developed until 2016, when she broke away from classical still life themes and started developing her current style of “Abstract Realism”.

Karen and her husband currently live at the famous “Blue Heaven Farm” in Massachusetts, where she displays her art.  She also shows at The Welles Gallery, Lenox, MA, The Art Walk, Pittsfield, MA and other Berkshire venues.

Throughout her life Karen has done numerous commissions. Additionally, she sells affordable custom prints of her prints at www.artaddictprints.com. She is a member of IGOR (the International Guild of Realism) and is featured on Galphia, an online gathering area for original art.