Karen Gersch

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 

His paintings explore urban environments through imagery drawn from linocuts and photographs of Newburgh, New York, New York City, and other cities throughout the region. Influenced by Russian Constructivism and both analytical and synthetic Cubism, Holt creates structured, layered compositions that reflect the rhythm, geometry, and energy of city life.