Those in the local arts community may know Green Bay artist Erin Karsten from seeing her work on display at a number of venues around the area — SAGE, The Art Garage and Lawton Gallery, to name a few — over the last few years, but it’s her background from before her artistic career began that influences the art she creates today.
“I was really interested in human rights issues, so I went to school for international relations and I got involved in labor unions doing union work and workers rights-type stuff,” Karsten said. “That’s what I currently still do while I go to school.”
Art has actually been a recent endeavor for Karsten, picking it up during COVID.
“I just recently started painting during the pandemic and it was really kind of therapeutic for me, in a sense, to have control over something and it’s really grown on me in recent years and has become something that I want to pursue further.”
With her paintings, Karsten keeps things fun and lighthearted with bright, eye-catching colors.
“I’m taking classes at UW-Green Bay currently and I’m planning to make photography my emphasis in my studio arts degree,” Karsten said. “I’m actually planning to apply to master’s programs for photography when I graduate…At the 51st annual student exhibition at UW-Green Bay, I won best in show for some of my photography and that was something I never anticipated. It’s really given me the confidence to continue what I’m doing and it made me believe in myself that I could go on and get a master’s degree if I wanted to.”
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Source: Karsten tackles tough topics with humorous photography | Press Times