The recent paintings of Karen Mata are inspired by her deep appreciation of the local landscape. Aware of the overwhelming trend towards abstract and modern art, Karen chooses to express her creative freedom and stimulate the intellect by painting traditional landscapes with a complex, contemporary feel. She enjoys studying the work of master artists, re-interpreting their elements, and infusing a combined intellectual effort into her own methods and style. Her paintings invite the viewer to pause and absorb their diversity as they define the artist’s depth of emotion and sophisticated palette. Her work is displayed in the homes and businesses of many art collectors in the Roaring Fork Valley, as well as in New York, California and Oklahoma. Karen lives with her husband and two daughters in Carbondale, CO.          March 2010