Karla Gerard

My passion is painting and sharing my art with the world.
I am self-taught and I enjoy painting folk art and abstract because the styles are both simple and uncomplicated. I like incorporating elements and ideas from many different inspirational sources and combine them into my paintings, whether they be from magazines, books, photos, nature, from a dream or from right off the top of my head. My paintings seem to evolve as I go along. I start with an idea and it flourishes.

I was born in Waterville, Maine. Most of my life, I have been a creative person and have loved creating and making things. Since I was a teenager, I have been drawing and painting for myself, relatives and friends.

My colorful paintings are done in acrylics and sometimes oil pastels in my smoke-free dining room studio. The colors I use and the style of my paintings, I feel, are a reflection of my personality; youthful, upbeat and kind of quirky. Since December 2002, I have been selling my original art at auction in my Ebay store. I am 57 years old and I have been married to my husband, Jerome, for 38 years. He gives me total support and sometimes some keen ideas for paintings. We have a 29 year old daughter, Holly, our only child. We have a Sun Conure named Olive Betty.