Art by Karen E. Gersch
The work of Karen E. Gersch is deeply personal, rooted in a lifelong connection to movement, nature and the human form. Her figures play within atmospheric fields of color, amplifying her emotive storytelling. Drawing inspiration from her early years immersed in circus arts, ballet and theater; she captures fluidity, resilience and introspection in her paintings. Hers is a visual language explored through a multitude of mediums, interpreting the discipline of physical motion into expressive brushwork and layered compositions.
Critique of oil painting "Stratosphere of Risk"
In Stratosphere of Risk, Gersch invites viewers into a suspended moment between elevation and uncertainty. Ethereal in tone but emotionally grounded, the composition captures a sweeping descent or flight - its central arc evoking the curvature of a leap, a fall, or a fragile crossing. The textural surface, layered with marks that suggest movement and memory, adds to the tension implied in the title: risk is not only physical, but emotional and existential.
Drawing on her background in acrobatics, balancing and visual storytelling, Gersch uses abstraction to speak of the human condition - how we navigate invisible thresholds, take leaps of faith, or hover just at the edge of transformation. The 'stratosphere' becomes both a place and a metaphor for emotion, exposure and the courage it takes to embrace the unknown.
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- Shirley Giler Noto, Director
Bank Art Gallery, Newburgh, New York