Karen Tompkins
Karen Tompkins, Constellations White 1, 2023, Acrylic, gesso, gold leaf on canvas, 23.6 x 23.6 inches
Karen Tompkins, Constellations Blue 3, 2023, Acrylic, gesso, gold leaf on canvas, 23.6 x 23.6 inches
Karen Tompkins, Constellations Red 4, 2024, Acrylic, gesso, gold leaf on canvas, 23.6 x 23.6 inches
Karen Tompkins, Constellations Red 5, 2024, Acrylic, gesso, gold leaf on canvas, 39 x 39 inches
Karen Tompkins, Constellations Blue 7, 2023, Acrylic, gesso, gold leaf on canvas, 48 x 36 inches
Karen Tompkins, Constellations Blue 10, 2023, Acrylic, gesso, gold leaf on canvas, 60 x 40 inches
Karen Tompkins, Blur 1, 2015, Oil on canvas, 60 x 50 inches
Karen Tompkins, Blur 2, 2015, Oil on canvas, 60 x 50 inches
Karen Tompkins, Infinity 1, 2017, Oil on canvas, 60 x 48 inches
Karen Tompkins, Infinity 3, 2018, Oil on canvas, 40 x 30 inches
Karen Tompkins, Infinity 5, 2018, Oil on canvas, 30 x 30 inches
Karen Tompkins, Elements 1, 2015, Oil on canvas, 24 x 24 inches
Karen Tompkins, Elements 2, 2015, Oil on canvas, 24 x 24 inches
Karen Tompkins, Elements 3, 2015, Oil on canvas, 24 x 24 inches
Karen Tompkins, Elements 4, 2015, Oil on canvas, 24 x 24 inches
Karen Tompkins, Elements 5, 2015, Oil on canvas, 24 x 24 inches
Karen Tompkins, Elements 6, 2015, Oil on canvas, 24 x 24 inches
Karen Tompkins, Elements 7, 2015, Oil on canvas, 24 x 24 inches
Karen Tompkins, Elements 8, 2015, Oil on canvas, 24 x 24 inches
Karen Tompkins, Elements 9, 2015, Oil on canvas, 24 x 24 inches
Karen Tompkins, Elements 10, 2015, Oil on canvas, 24 x 24 inches
Karen Tompkins, Elements 11, 2015, Oil on canvas, 24 x 24 inches
Karen Tompkins, Elements 13, 2015, Oil on canvas, 24 x 24 inches
Karen Tompkins, Elements 14, 2015, Oil on canvas, 24 x 24 inches
Karen Tompkins, Elements 15, 2015, Oil on canvas, 24 x 24 inches
Tompkins is inspired by celestial objects and phenomena; her art continues to delve into the mysteries of the universe, from sub-atomic particles to distant galaxies. She explored her interest in astronomy in Italy as an Artist in Residence at the American Academy in Rome in 2016 where she became intrigued by Galileo’s discoveries of sunspots, the Jovian moons, and the craters on the moon. Tompkins is also inspired by the natural, repeating patterns in the universe comprised of the 118 elements. She draws inspiration from French astronomer Charles Messier’s list of light objects that appear as comets but are not, which swirl and dazzle through the night sky. She believes that humans are connected to the “pulse” of the natural world because they are comprised of the “star stuff” reflected in the universe. Tompkins grew up in Tulsa, Oklahoma and studied painting and drawing at the Academy of Fine Art in Rome, Italy before continuing her education at the Pratt Institute Graduate School in Brooklyn, NY.
Education
Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, NY, Graduate Studies
Academy of Fine Art, Rome, Italy
University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, B.A.
Selected Group Exhibitions
2024
Incandescence: The Chandelier in Contemporary Art, Lehman College Art Gallery, Bronx, NY
2020
Art Off-Screen, curated by Eileen Jeng, Neumeraki, New York, NY
2018
The Art of Protest, Arteté Gallery, Greenpoint NY
Tick Tock: Time in Contemporary Art, Lehman College Art Gallery, Bronx, NY (curated by Bartholomew Bland)
Master Drawings New York, Cade Tompkins Projects at Victoria Munroe Fine Art, New York, NY
2017
Fine Print Fair, Cleveland Museum of Art, Cade Tompkins Projects, Cleveland, Ohio
Give Voice, Gallery LMAK, New York, NY
Give Voice, Rubin Museum, New York, NY
Spring Break Art Fair, New York, NY
2016
IFPDA Print Fair, Art in an Airstream, New York, NY
2014
Art Southampton, Voltz Clarke, Southampton, NY
The Brucennial, Vito Schnabel & The Bruce High Quality Foundation, New York, NY
Kips Bay Designer Show House, Mendelson Group, New York, NY
2013
The Armory Show Summer Celebration, Voltz Clarke, Sag Harbor, NY
Spring Selections, MME Fine Art, New York, NY
2012
ArtHamptons, Cade Tompkins Projects, Bridgehampton, NY
Blair Voltz Clarke, VIP Exhibition, Armory Show, New York, NY
2011
Editions/Artists’ Book Fair, New York, NY
Blair Voltz Clarke, VIP Exhibition, Armory Show, New York, NY
2010
Monumental, Cade Tompkins Projects, Providence, RI
Blair Voltz Clarke, VIP Exhibition, Armory Show, New York, NY
Next Art Fair, Cade Tompkins Projects, Chicago, IL
Baltimore Museum of Art, Contemporary Print Fair, Baltimore, MD
Editions/Artists’ Book Fair, New York, NY
2009
Pink Is The New Black, Cade Tompkins Projects, Providence, RI
Editions/Artists’ Book Fair, New York, NY
Jensen Fine Arts, Brookline, MA
2008
Editions/Artists’ Book Fair, New York, NY
2007
A Century of Women Painters, Jensen Fine Arts, Brookline, MA
2006
The Affordable Art Fair, Julio Valdez Prints, New York, NY
Inaugural Exhibition, Jensen Fine Art, Brookline, MA
2005
Art and the Garden, Spanierman Gallery, East Hampton, NY
Picturing Central Park, Christie’s, New York, NY
Group Show, Kraushaar Galleries, New York, NY
2004
Summer Show, Kraushaar Galleries, New York, NY
2003
Works on Paper, The Armory Exhibition, Ronnie-Cohen, New York, NY
Selections, Kraushaar Galleries, New York, NY
Connections, Ronnie Cohen, New York, NY
2002
Selections, Kraushaar Galleries, New York, NY
San Francisco Art Fair, Kraushaar Gallleries, San Francisco, CA
Summer Exhibition, Kraushaar Galleries, New York, NY
2000
Contemporary Art of Philbrook, The Philbrook Museum of Art, Tulsa, OK
1999
Selections, Kraushaar Galleries, New York, NY
Works on Paper, The Armory Exhibition, Kraushaar Galleries, NY, NY
The Art Show, The Armory Exhibition, Kraushaar Galleries, New York, NY
1998
The Exchange Show, Ronnie Cohen, New York, NY
Works on Paper, The Armory Exhibition, Kraushaar Galleries, New York, NY
The Digital Print, A.I.R. Gallery, New York, NY
Still Life Painting Today, Jerald Melberg Gallery, Charlotte, NC
Artists Prints, Kraushaar Galleries, New York, NY
1997
Works on Paper, The Armory Exhibition, Kraushaar Galleries, New York, NY
Scapes: Air and Land, Jane Thurn Gallery, New York, NY
Landscapes-Gardens, Jane Thrun Gallery, New York, NY
1996
Albright-Knox Gallery, Buffalo, NY
Four Collectors: Richard Brown Baker, Caroline Lerner Goldsmith, Werner Kramarsky, Michael Rubenstein, The Century Association, New York, NY
1995
Icons for a Contemporary Work, Cade Tompkins, New York, NY
Bloom!, Downtown/Uptown Gallery Lok, Wainscott, NY
Group, Downtown/Uptown Gallery Lok, Wainscott, NY
Selected Solo Exhibitions
2016
Galileo/Sunspots, American Academy in Rome, Rome, Italy
2015
Speed of Light, MME Fine Art, New York, NY
2013
ARTworks, Holland Hall, Tulsa, OK
2012
Extraordinary/Ordinary, MME Fine Art, New York, NY
2003
Karen Tompkins, Judith Wall Fine Art, New York, NY
1997
Solo Show, Kraushaar Galleries, New York, NY
Collections
Corporate And Museum Collections
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY
Blue Cross & Blue Shield, Providence, RI
Cabot, Cabot, Forbes, Stamford, CT
R.L. Hudson Vineyard, Napa, CA
Nortex, Providence, RI
Philbrook Museum of Art, Tulsa, OK
Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
Williams Company, Tulsa, OK
James D. Wolfensohn Incorporated, New York, NY