About the Artist
Karen E. Gersch is an artist whose work is deeply rooted in drawing, painting, and the performing arts. She received a scholarship to Pratt Institute at 16, where she earned her BFA with Honors and developed an independent study focused on mime and juggling. She continued her training in ballet and circus arts with master teachers from the Moscow Circus.
Gersch went on to work as a set designer and illustrator for Henson Associates and Warner Bros. Records while developing a body of work inspired by life in the circus. A founding member of the Big Apple Circus, Circus Smirkus, and Friendly Bros. Circus, her drawings and paintings capture the energy and intimacy of performance life.
Her work has been exhibited widely across the United States and Canada, including a major retrospective of 124 works at the 118 Elliot Gallery in Brattleboro, Vermont. She continues to create for both exhibition and commissioned projects, including book illustration, wine labels, and design work.
Artist Statement
I am interested in capturing the character and presence of my subjects through expressive drawing and painting. My work often begins with close observation, then develops through color, gesture, and instinct. I am drawn to moments that feel animated, unexpected, or emotionally charged, and I try to preserve that sense of immediacy in the finished piece. Rather than simply recording appearance, I want the work to suggest personality, movement, and a story just beneath the surface.
