Karen Frair- Computer Artist
by Joni Johnson
Karen Frair came to RVM in April of 2017 from Cambria, California. In the directory, she lists her interests as Pickleball, Digital Art and Dancing. Before retiring, she was a professor of Mechanical Engineering. She shared with us a little bit about her experience with digital art and some of her extraordinary digital paintings. If this is what she created with no art experience, I would like to see what she created in her time as a mechanical engineer.
Karen Frair
From Karen Frair:
My husband and I moved to the Manor from a small town on the central coast of California in 2017. It was during our years in California that I was introduced to a software product known as “Painter” (now “Corel Painter,” https://www.painterartist.com/) and from that point on became what I like to think of as a “digital artist.”
Other than a computer and the software, the main tool used is a Wacom graphics tablet and stylus, which behave as a traditional brush or pen, canvas or paper would. Using these tools you are able to reproduce the effects of physical painting media such as watercolor, oil, chalk, or acrylics on various surfaces and textures. I’ve never had any training or experience in art per se, although I’ve always been very comfortable with computers and computer applications. I think what I’ve enjoyed most about Painter is exploring different styles, subject matter, and media (and it’s a lot easier to hit “Delete” than to trash an actual canvas). Here are some examples that I hope exemplify the different artistic worlds I’ve been able to explore over the past years.
