The Trippe Gallery

 Contemporary artist Ken Karlic paints with a sense of urgency and passion that is about capturing the essence of a subject. Trained in graphic design, painting and architecture, Ken merges these disciplines in his fine art watercolors with a style and voice that is uniquely his own. 

Originally from Chicago, Ken Karlic exhibits regularly in the Mid-Atlantic region as well as painting in national juried plein air events. 

“I refer to my work as sophisticated chaos, where a structured drawing gives way to an expressive painting to create a beautiful mess. I'm drawn to scenes of complex forms, finding beauty in the streets, scaffolding and grit of everyday life. I strive to express how something feels as much as how it looks, and to capture the physicality of a subject with bold brushwork and rich textures. My paintings have a basis in the representational but often dissolve into varying levels of abstraction. My approach is as much a part of the work as the subject, with marks, scratches, drips and splatters all becoming part of the final piece, creating a very physical presence.”

Ken Karlic received his BFA from the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign and is a founding partner of the graphic design firm Splice Design Group in Baltimore MD. Ken is a member of the Mid-Atlantic Plein-Air Painters Association (MAPAPA), a Signature Artist Member of Baltimore Watercolor Society and a member in various other watercolor societies.