SACRED PLACES

It is seemed Karen Young was born with a camera in her hand. She was always watching and listening to her surroundings. She loves the beauty of nature and animals. She is interested in capturing a moment in time and telling a story within an image, whether it is a moment of peace and tranquility, or conflict and strife. She is interested in the perplexities of the human condition and adores shapes, colors, and the changes in the quality of light.

Her father was her first photography teacher. After each family vacation, he put together a slide show for his friends and family and told stories about the pictures he took. He was so fascinated with traveling and bringing home a whole library of images that captured his experiences.

Karen continued her photography studies, working in a black and white darkroom at Laguna Beach High School, and then at the black and white and color darkrooms at Scripps College. Some of her favorite photographers include Ansel Adams, Edward Weston, Edward Curtis, and Imogen Cunningham. She was fortunate to study abroad in her junior year of college where she studied at SACI (Studio Arts College International) in Florence, Italy. She has studied portraiture, photojournalism, platinum palladium printing, and much more. She is always eager to learn new ways to express herself through her art.

SACRED PLACES

This exhibition is based on Karen’s second trip to Japan that took place this past November. In Japan there is a great appreciation and reverence for nature. She was able to capture the beauty of fall in Japan as she toured the ancient shrines of Kyoto and the forests of the Iya Valley. The stillness, peace, and tranquility can be found in her black and white and color images. As she works on finding the stillness within herself, she also continues to look for the stillness around her for inspiration.

Karen is grateful to have been surrounded by such meditative and beautiful surroundings, such Sacred Spaces, on her trip to Japan.