_Karen Maness
Second-generation artist Karen Maness was born in San Diego, entered a conservatory of fine art at the age of eight and began creating private commissions shortly thereafter. Although her earliest efforts were figurative, firmly rooted in the human form, regional influences like the Chicano Art movement and the Los Angeles freeway muralists ignited her interest in creating expansive, environment-altering work.
Ms. Maness apprenticed with San Diego scenic designers in executing painted backdrops from 1988 until 1991 when she launched her career as a scenic artist while studying studio art and set design at Whittier College in Los Angeles. The entertainment world proved a fertile field, allowing Ms. Maness to expand on her studio practice and indulge her passion for large-scale work. Her Southern California credits include South Coast Repertory, The Mark Taper Forum, Lyric Opera San Diego, George & Goldberg Design Associates, Disneyland Entertainment, Knott's Berry Farm Entertainment, Movie Magic, and The University of California, Irvine.
In 1999 Ms. Maness accepted her current position as Charge Scenic Artist at Texas Performing Arts at the University of Texas at Austin. There she also teaches scenic art and figurative painting for the Department of Theatre and Dance. Her further training includes painting and drawing classes at The Florence Academy of Art, Florence, Italy and Cobalt Studios, White Lake, New York. She teaches master painting classes in the United States and abroad, most recently for the School of Theater at California Institute of the Arts in Valencia, CA., and at the Costa Rican Center of Science and Culture in San Jose, Costa Rica. She is serving in her fifth year as the Co-Commissioner of Scene Design, for the United States Institute for Theatre Technology.
Her paintings have been exhibited in California and Texas and are held in private collections in the United States and Europe. In 2011 Ms. Maness opened RUST RED STUDIO where she intends to continue a rigorous studio practice.
Second-generation artist Karen Maness was born in San Diego, entered a conservatory of fine art at the age of eight and began creating private commissions shortly thereafter. Although her earliest efforts were figurative, firmly rooted in the human form, regional influences like the Chicano Art movement and the Los Angeles freeway muralists ignited her interest in creating expansive, environment-altering work.
Ms. Maness apprenticed with San Diego scenic designers in executing painted backdrops from 1988 until 1991 when she launched her career as a scenic artist while studying studio art and set design at Whittier College in Los Angeles. The entertainment world proved a fertile field, allowing Ms. Maness to expand on her studio practice and indulge her passion for large-scale work. Her Southern California credits include South Coast Repertory, The Mark Taper Forum, Lyric Opera San Diego, George & Goldberg Design Associates, Disneyland Entertainment, Knott's Berry Farm Entertainment, Movie Magic, and The University of California, Irvine.
In 1999 Ms. Maness accepted her current position as Charge Scenic Artist at Texas Performing Arts at the University of Texas at Austin. There she also teaches scenic art and figurative painting for the Department of Theatre and Dance. Her further training includes painting and drawing classes at The Florence Academy of Art, Florence, Italy and Cobalt Studios, White Lake, New York. She teaches master painting classes in the United States and abroad, most recently for the School of Theater at California Institute of the Arts in Valencia, CA., and at the Costa Rican Center of Science and Culture in San Jose, Costa Rica. She is serving in her fifth year as the Co-Commissioner of Scene Design, for the United States Institute for Theatre Technology.
Her paintings have been exhibited in California and Texas and are held in private collections in the United States and Europe. In 2011 Ms. Maness opened RUST RED STUDIO where she intends to continue a rigorous studio practice.
