Art Chowder January | February 2017, Issue 7 | Page 28

Writers

Photo Credits: Jon Lepper and Tim Halloran Creative LIfe Spokane, Jentel Foundation

Meet Our

Let us introduce to you our fabulous writers who bring so much experience to our magazine and
the many great articles that you to enjoy. Along with these four amazing talents, we have revolving
articles from the Culinary Arts Academy at SCC, as well as several guest writers like Eric Cook in this
issue, Tom Quinn and others. You just never know who is in your community and where they may
have been. We are humbled that they are a regular part of the Art Chowder Team.

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You are most likely to find Karen Mobley at her art and book filled South Hill
home studio where she paints, draws, writes poetry and articles, and operates
her arts consulting business. There is a big garden in the front with dry stalks
of hollyhock. If you stand still, you can hear pygmy nuthatches, chickadees
and the occasional gold finch. The house sprawls with workspaces and tables for art making, writing, and African violets. Throughout the house, there
are paintings, prints and photographs, sculptures, and vacation artifacts. Of
course, there are many art works by Karen herself. Her elderly cat, Mary Cassatt, has free range on the worktables and computer keyboard and makes herself known even to visiting strangers.
Karen’s passion for poetry and art began in childhood. Raised on an Elk Refuge in Wyoming, Karen was encouraged by her mother to be a maker and
writer. With few other kids around and no television or radio, reading was
a pastime shared by the whole family. Karen published her first poems in
Owen Wister Review at the University of Wyoming as a student and continues
to write and submit for publication. She is a regular attendee of community
events where writers read and perform poetry. She is a fan of Get Lit, Spark
Central and Spokane Poetry Slam
When asked if she would write about writers and their work for Art Chowder,
Karen was happy to contribute as she enjoys the burgeoning writing scene in
Spokane and reads poetry daily.
“Karen Mobley is a woman of high intelligence with astute insights and
quality who has overcome afflictions and sorrows with grace and good will,”
said Melville Holmes, artist and contributor to this magazine. One of our readers and community arts volunteer Royanne Lisk, says,
“Karen always manages to say exactly what I wish I’d said.”
Karen has worked in the arts in Spokane for nearly twenty years. She has a
contract with Spokane Arts and works with other arts organizations on projects. She served as Arts Director for the City of Spokane from 1997 – 2015.
“Karen’s art is as large in format as in concept, and is matched in size only by
her passionate commitment to the idea that everyone has a role to play in the
arts community,” said Jane Ifland, arts enthusiast
Currently, Karen is making paintings and drawings about water and has been
submitting her own book of poetry to publishers. As a visual artist, Karen
served as artist in residence at AIR Studio Paducah (Paducah, Kentucky) and
at the Jentel Foundation (Banner, Wyoming) in 2016 and at the Brush Creek
Foundation in 2015. Karen serves on the boards of Cultural Access Washington and the Culture PAC. Karen is a member of Rotary 21 where she serves as
Co-Chair of the Rotary International Service Committee and she is active in
Westminster Congregational United Church of Christ.
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CHOWDER
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