Karen Goetzinger – “Beauty in the Inconsequential”
On display October 4 through december 28, 2025
Artist Talk and Reception: Join us on Thursday, October 9 from 6:00pm to 8:30pm to hear from the artist.
Show Description: “Beautify in the Inconsequential” The Visual Poetry of Karen Goetzinger
Anne Frank said, “I don’t think of all the misery but of the beauty that still remains. “Beauty in the Inconsequential” is a collection of abstract paintings inspired by the seemingly small things in life but created on a scale that is inescapable.
Anne Frank said, “I don’t think of all the misery but of the beauty that still remains.” Regrettably we can become so immersed in unpleasant and disturbing things of life that we miss the beauty of ordinary things. Ordinarily beautiful. Sounds like an oxymoron. Or is it? Recognizing small joys fosters a sense of fulfillment that passes to others through actions of gratitude. These paintings, inspired by the beauty of seemingly small things— the breaking of dawn through a bedroom window, an elderly woman's smile as she makes her way with a walker, a fragrance that brings a surge of memories—are on a scale that’s inescapable. Each explores color and marks to record, without literal references, the impressions of a singular day. Each allows for the viewers personal interaction in solitary exploration of the surface providing opportunity to shift thoughts from the daily barrage of negativity to finding value in what may at first seem inconsequential but is essential to the human experience.
A Selection of works on exhibit
Artist Statement:
Through my gestural paintings I aim to capture those overlooked modest moments of beauty, revealed unexpectedly perhaps in the imperfect and the fleeting, but that nevertheless illuminate our humanity and our longing to connect with each other.
I admire people who are wordsmiths. Words rarely come easily for me, one thought splits into another and then another, as I search my mind for the right words. Each large blank canvas allows me to expressively explore the vocabulary of color and marks to create poetry in motion. I begin with spontaneous layers of graphite, charcoal, or ink, but after those first few freeing marks that break the surface of the canvas and give direction to the painting, each stroke and line is considered and intentional as I record the emotions and memories of discovering beauty in the inconsequential.
With the use of fluid brushstrokes and no distinguishable objects, each painting invites viewers to enter it with inquiring observation. The abstract imagery allows for a contemplative journey of interactive reflection and exploration of the layers of the visual language of colors and marks. It is a respite perhaps from the exigencies of life and a path to finding value, joy, and contentment in what may at first seem inconsequential, but is in fact essential to the human experience.
About the Artist:
Karen Goetzinger is an abstract painter, born and raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, who lived in Minnesota, New York, and Ottawa, Ontario and has recently returned to her roots in Milwaukee.
Through the use of mixed media such as acrylic, ink, graphite, and oil pastel, she expressively marks the imprint of beauty in the seemingly inconsequential and imperfect things of life. There is a fierceness about her brushwork— an agitation and determination and yet her paintings are often described as beautiful, uplifting, and filled with life and energy. Colors and marks push off the edges of the large scale canvases with an unrestrained freedom.
She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Fashion Design with an emphasis in Fine Arts from Mount Mary University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Her work, which has been funded by the ARTicipate Endowment Fund, the Ontario Arts Council, and Canada Council for the Arts, is exhibited in galleries throughout North America, in cities such as Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, and New York. It has been shown in exhibition spaces in China and Australia and hangs in international private and corporate collections.
During the years in Ottawa, Karen was appointed to the Ottawa Arts, Culture, and Heritage Investment Program Steering Committee and was unanimously elected to the Arts Network Ottawa Board of Directors, serving two consecutive three year terms. Karen was a frequent volunteer for the Ottawa Art Gallery and the Ottawa Arts Council. She taught at the Ottawa School of Art and by invitation in Australia and New Zealand.
Learn more about the artist here.