Karen Hewitt Hagan
b.1960    Florence, SC 
        
photo by John C. Doyle

 

Hagan’s paintings offer a  compelling combination of dramatic light and rugged beauty.   
Favorite subjects include pristine coastal landscapes,  boats drenched in sunlight,  soulful dancers and classical nudes.  

Hagan has studied traditional methods of painting and drawing with many notable contemporary master artists as well as 
studied the works of inspirational historical painters including John Singer Sargent, Emile Gruppe, Joaquín Sorolla y Bastida,
and Edgar Alwin Payne.

Her painterly style has developed over the last decade, steeped in tradition but unique and completely her own. "Capturing the feeling 
or  mood of a place or of the model is my highest goal.  It's my chance to combine the essence of drawing, composition and 
color application skills to share the strong emotion that lead me to paint the subject.

Karen continues her training, drawing the figure in charcoal in the classical traditional method from life size plaster casts and drawing and
painting  nude figures and costumed dancers from live models and from backstage photo sessions during live performances as 
well as painting out of doors, en plein air .  “Nature is truly the best teacher.” 

Hagan’s paintings hang in numerous private, corporate and yacht collections in the US and abroad including  The Sanctuary Resort
at Kiawah Island, SC.  Her accomplishments include having her  work exhibited in  many invitational exhibitions and juried shows including 
the Carmel Plein Air Painting Competition in Carmel California and recently she was presented with the Award of 
Excellence at the COPA Plein Air Painting Annual in Charleston, SC. 

Her work was featured in a one woman exhibition in 2006 at the Iredell Museums, Statesville NC. 
Her work is described by  Theresa Golas, Executive Director of The Iredell Museums:
"She has an innate sense of color and composition and when it is coupled with the way she handles the media, magic occurs."

A long time resident of Charleston SC and an avid traveler with a passion for the open waters, Hagan and her husband are 
currently restoring and living aboard a 53-foot boat  and  split their time painting in  and along the coastal villages of the 
East Coast of the US and the Bahama Islands. 

Hagan teaches plein air painting in Italy, The Abacos, France and in the US.


Education
Bachelor or Arts: College of Journalism, The University of South Carolina, Columbia SC, 1983

Gibbes Museum Studio School
Scottsdale Artist School
Armory Arts Center

Formal Workshops,  Individual Instruction or Critique
Kim English  
Dennis Aufiery               Gay Falulkenbery 
John Budicin                  George Strickland
John Carroll Doyle          Lynn Gertenbach
Kenn Backhaus             Charles Sovek 

Professional Affiliations
Signature Member of Plein Air Painters of The Southeast
Member of Oil Painters of America
A Founding Member Charleston Outdoor Painters Association
Member of The American Impressionist Society
A Founding Member of The Abaco Artist Guild

Selected Press 
American Art Collector  Magazine - August 2006 - Feature Article on Museum Show
American Art Collector  Magazine - July  2006 - Collectable Marine Artists
Plein Air Magazine, Studio Visit Feature - September 2006 
Galleries & Artists of The South – 7/05
Post and Courier Newspaper - PREVIEW - 6/04
SKIRT Magazine- 3/02 Cover Artist
Art & Antiques Magazine – 4/01-Carmel Art Festival Plein Air Painting Article Inclusion
Post & Courier Newspaper -3/02 - "Ready" publication
Post & Courier Newspaper - 5/01-Carmel Art Festival Plein Air Painting Article
SKIRT Magazine - 5/01-Spoleto Festival & Anonymous Nights Series Pictorial
Hilton Head Island Packet – Exhibit Review
Savannah Morning News – Show Review
Connect Savannah- Show Review

Selected Honors & Shows
Award of Excellence: COPA Paint Out; 2004
Honorable Mention Award: COPA Paint Out; 2004
Merit Award: Piccolo Spoleto: 2002
Florence Museum Silver Anniversary Exhibition, 2002 
Honorable Mention Award: Juried Exhibition Spoleto USA: 
Carmel Art Festival Plein Air Painting Competition, Carmel, California
Best and The Brightest Show, 2001 - Scottsdale, Arizona
Private Collection of The Sanctuary Resort: Kiawah Island, SC: 2004
Private Collection of  Great Guana Beach Club Yacht, Abaco Bahamas:2005

Invitational, Juried Exhibitions & Gallery Shows
2006: Summer Travel Show, City Art Gallery, Greenville, NC
2006: Tuscan Nights, Studio W, Boone NC
2006 :Iredell Museum, Statesville, NC July 2006: One Woman Show
2006: American Heart Assn. Fine Art & Wine Gala  & Auction; Live Auction Artist
2006: Anderson Fine Art Gallery : PAP-SE Spring Exhibition (upcoming 4/06)
2006: Featured artist for Ella Walton Richardson Fine Art /CFADA Sanctuary Winter Art Show

2005: Bank United Two Woman Show, West Palm Beach, FL
2005: CFADA Demo & Auction Benefit: Charleston, SC 
2005: Featured at The Conch Pearl Gallery, Marsh Harbour Abaco
2005: The Land, The Sea & The Figure: City Art Gallery, Greenville, NC
2005: Quinlan Visual Art Center: PASP-SE Southern Light: Gainesville, GA
2005: Abaco Inn Fine Art Show: Hope Town, Abaco
2005: Abaco Beach Resort Fine Art Exhibition: Marsh Harbour, Abaco  
2005: Charleston Garden Festival, Charleston SC

2004: A Moment in Time Two Woman Show - Ella Richardson Fine Art
2004: Charleston Fine Art Dealers Demo & Auction: Charleston, SC
2004: Anderson Fine Art PAP-SE Fall Exhibition
2004: Maritime Festival Fine Art Exhibition: Charleston, SC
2004: COPA Plein Air Paint Out and Exhibition: Charleston, SC
2004: Anne Irwin Summer Salon, Atlanta, GA
2004: At One's Pleasure, 2 Woman Show w/ Martha Sharp: MUSC, Charleston, SC
2004: In Honor of Johnny Mercer - Fine Art Exhibit: Savannah, GA
2004: Art for Dance Featured Artist, Charleston, SC

2003, 2002, 2001 and prior
Charleston Fine Art Dealers Paint Out & Auction Annual Event
Carmel Art Assoc. Plein Air Painting Competition, Carmel, CA
Southern Exposure 2 Woman Show, Ella Richardson Fine Art, Charleston, SC
Landfall Foundation Paint Out: Fountainside Gallery, Wilmington, NC
Spring Salon: Anne Irwin Fine Art, Atlanta, GA
Summer Salon & Small Works Winter Show; Anne Irwin Fine Art, Atlanta, GA
Landscape The Continuum - City Art Gallery, Greenville, NC
Boca Raton Museum of Fine Art Annual Spring Exhibition, Boca Raton Florida
Gibbes Museum of Art Spring House Tour at Kiawah Island,  SC 
First Union One Woman Exhibit, Charleston, SC 
One Woman Show; Working Boats - Bothwell Gallery, Savannah, GA
Designer Show House, Charleston, SC
Designer Show House, Beaufort, SC  

Selected Corporate Collections
Hatteras Yachts
First Citizens Bank NC
The Sanctuary at Kiawah
Motor Yacht Paul-n-Jane
Motor Yacht for Great Guan Beach Club

US Representation:
Ella Walton Richardson Fine Art Gallery
Charleston, SC
www.ellarichardson.com

City Art Gallery
Greenville, NC
www.city-art-gallery.com

Stellers Fine Art
Jacksonville Locations (4)
www.stellersgallery.com

Foreign Representation:
The Conch Pearl Gallery
Marsh Harbour, Abaco

Recent Exhibition Photos

______________________________________________

Contact Information:
Studio Phone: 561-685-6526 
Email: KarenHewittHagan@cs.com

Artist's  Studio Aboard MV Plein Air
Marsh Harbour, Abaco: The Bahamas 6/2005

 

Studio: 561.685.6526     Visit the galleries that represent my work.  

  © Karen Hewitt Hagan  2001-08. 
All Reproduction Rights Reserved by the Artist.