Biographical Information:
Karen Chutsky Naud is a noted commercial and fine artist who launched her career at the age of 6 when she began creating murals on the walls of her family’s home in New Jersey. She began formal training in pastel and watercolor at age 9 at the Montclair Art Museum in New jersey and the York Art Assiciation of Maine during summers.
Karen studied Fine Art at Pennsylvania State University and the famed Arts Student League of New York City where she “fell in love with designing fabrics.” She then studied textile design at the Fashion Institute of Technology in the center of the garment district going on to win several fabric design awards including the Gold Medal Award – Achievement in Textile Design, the National Drapery and Curtain Association Award and the Milliken Award to name a few.
It was during this time that she opened her own Home Furnishing Fabric company with a line of silkscreened fabrics made in a factory in Ramsey, New Jersey and sold at her retail outlet store in Paramus, New Jersey called Kallena Designs. Karen later moved to Los Angeles, CA to train for animation, film storyboarding, and set design with Disney Animators. This led to a career in animation, film storyboarding and period set design. While in CA, she authored and illustrated books, wrote reviews for online book review sites, and a weekly movie review column for a local Los Angeles newspaper.
When Karen is not in Pasadena California she spends time in Boothbay, Maine selling her pastel paintings at the Sandpiper Art Gallery in a historic building in the harbor and throughout New England.
Throughout her commercial career she continued to create and exhibit her watercolor paintings. “Now chalk pastel is my favorite medium because it is quick and energetic, shows off an artist’s strong drawing hand and the lovely palette of colors are all laid out before you to pick and choose, to sketch- smear and rub with your fingers rather than a brush. I’m always amazed at how just a few strokes can create so much life on a piece of paper. The best perk of being an artist - having the mindset of being creative with life as well as art. It all feels like a big adventure, a movie in the making.”
Artist Statement:
Throughout my commercial career I’ve worked in Watercolor, Pastel, Gouache, Computer Graphics and Cut Paper Collage. Now chalk pastel is my favorite medium because it is quick and energetic, shows off an artist’s strong drawing hand and this wonderful palette of colors are all laid out before you to pick and choose, draw and sketch and smear with your fingers rather than a brush in an almost sculptural way.
I’m always amazed at how just a few strokes can create so much life on a piece of paper. The best perk of being an artist - having the mindset of being creative with life as well as art. It all feels like a big adventure, a movie in the making.”
TEXTILE DESIGN
AAS Fashion Institute of Technology New York
Awards: GOLD MEDAL AWARD-Achievement in Textile Design + MILLIKEN AWARD + NATIONAL DRAPERY AND ALLIED ASSOCIATION AWARD + Art Students league GOLD MEDAL AWARD
KALLENA DESIGNS: Silkscreened Home Furnishing Fabric Company + Retail Outlet Paramus Mall-New Jersey
GRAPHIC DESIGN: GOURMET MAGAZINE + XETEL CORPORATION + RIGHT MANAGEMENT CONSULTANTS + MAINE DEPARTMENTOF AGRICULTURE + CLUE MAGAZINE + BOSTON GLOBE MAGAZINE + HARTFORD COURANT + DC PRODUCTIONS-Film Posters
CHILDREN’S BOOK ILLUSTRATION: ANNABELLE’S RESCUE – Nadan Publications
PRODUCTION DESIGN/STORYBOARD ARTIST: “Hercules in Hollywood” Director John Michael Ferrari + “Christmas Elf in LA” Director Christopher Atkins + “Sun and Shadow” Director Francesco Quinn + “Black Cloud” Director Rick Schroeder + “Ghost Rock” Director Dustin Rikert + “Young Davy Crockett” Director William T. Naud
DISNEY TRAINED BACKGROUND PAINTER AND STORYBOARD ARTIST
WRITER: THE BOY FROM TENNESSEE/YOUNG DAVY CROCKETT- Historical Novel -Grovesnor Square Press + OJI / SPY GIRLS AT THE GATE – Editor – Grovesnor Square Press + LOCALE MAGAZINE – Contributing Writer + LUCERNE VALLEY NEWSPAPER – Weekly Movie Review Column + MIDWEST BOOK REVIEW – Chutsky’s Bookshelf + INDEPENDENT PUBLISHER – Book Review Column + ONLINE MOVIE REVIEW SITE www.themovieladyreviews.com
GALLERY SHOWINGS: Churchill Gallery/ Newburyport Mass + June Weare Gallery/Ogunquit Maine + Ogunquit Playhouse + Art Students League /New York City + Copley Society of Boston + York Art Association/Maine + Cucklebutton Gallery/Ogunquit Maine + Congress Square Gallery/Portland Maine +Furber Gallery/ York Maine + Watercolor Gallery/Ogunquit Maine + Waldo Theatre Artwalk/ Waldo Maine + Sandpiper Art Gallery/ Boothbay Maine + Richard Boyd Gallery/Peaks island Maine + Showcase Gallery/Newport California + Pasadena Society of Art/California
