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Karen Combs
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Karen Combs |
Hi All! - I'm an artist and designer. In 2006 I started a small artisanal wallpaper design and production studio called NAMA ROCOCO. I still make a lot of other art as well, painting and drawing and design. I work in the studio just about every day. I studied art at Indiana University, and since then I've traveled around and lived in quite a few different places: Boston (Masters Degree from Mass College of Art), Provincetown, Massachusetts, Northern California, London (UK) Western Massachusetts and more recently, New York City and that region,. I've been back in Indiana now and again as well. Really, it seems like every decade that passes I'm taken completely by surprise at what life presents. There have been so many amazing surprises and opportunities I never could have dreamed of in earlier days, then of course sometimes it gets more challenging.
I'm still in touch with amazing friends from all parts of the journey, and all over the country (world) by now, and that's a pretty wonderful part of my life. I am close to my parents and siblings as well - as some of you know, all four of my siblings became artists or musicians too! I don't have any kids, or a partner currently. I do have loads of super-adorable nieces and nephews, all over the world, and now even the next generation of babies is happening. Lately I've been spending some of my time in Indiana helping my parents with a few things as they get older.
As far as how I spend my time when I'm out and about: I'd go to just about any art museum in the world, any time at all! My faves are the Met in NYC (esp. the Chinese art) and the Victoria & Albert in London (everything!) I listen to (BLAST) music every day in the studio - my tastes are probably a bit little lopsided in the direction of alt-rock (past and present) but other music as well (opera, jazz, Alan Lomax type stuff.) I'm pretty involved in the world of house decor and design, as well as modernist and contemporary architecture (both kind of go with the territory of my wallpaper biz.) Landscape and garden design/creation have been a part of my life as well, with a few pretty elaborate gardens created through the years. I go to Farmer's markets every chance I get, no matter where I am. I really, really love to cook. Organic, healthy-type food is the thing for me! (Latest project - this week I'm trying out making whole-grain seed crackers, so far so good!)
I intend to travel a lot in the next few years, for work and play (I'll let you know if I make it to Shanghai in 2013!) and also branch out in my design career as well. In any case, I am pretty curious to see what happens next. until next time …. xoKaren |