About
Karen Hunter McLaughlin
Karen is a lifelong Philadelphia artist currently working in experimental monotype prints, augmented reality, and poetry.
Karen, lifting a monotype plate for Pricilla is the Rising Sun
Visual Arts
I’m not one who moves. Literally. I’ve lived in the same place, more or less, since I was 3. I share my childhood home with the boy I loved at 14. All my moves are figurative, my work is how I move. Often in the past they’ve been quick bursts of series through styles, mediums, colors, moods, environmental and existential crises. My comforting constants are the ever changing science of nature, the language of variable line, and the design of my life.
In 2017 I began studying the fine art of printmaking, gravitating towards multi-layer monotype printing. I discovered there were things I could do with monotype printing, that I could never recreate in other mediums. The negative and positive effects I obtained weren’t possible with direct application. What drew me to this type of printmaking was the ephemeral surprises and chance discoveries I found when lifting paper from plate. While my work has evolved from these early discoveries, the main concepts of awe and wonder remain as important catalysts.
Full Artist Statement
Writing
Last year (2025) I started a regular poetry practice, a journal of sorts. Surviving 1460 Days is a compendium of short, lyrical poems written to initially fit on the single page of a small, handmade journal. This smaller size seemed to perfectly fit my poetic nature. So I stuck with it.
This is an ongoing project written in response to my despair at the current political climate, and the endurance it takes to preserve the physical self and mind. 1460 is the number of days in this four-year U.S. political administration beginning on January 20, 2025. I write as close to daily as I can. It’s a way to soothe, create, and resist.
As of August 2026 I have completed six quarters (3 months each) of poetry. On this page are samples of one from each quarter, If you are interested in reading the full quarters, reach out via my contact page.
Select Surviving 1460 Poems
New Beginnings - Q1
1/1460
1-20-2025
One slams me down
saps all my energy
forces tests
steals my appetite
One is grey
an unknown forward arc
I step one foot in
a positive path
aiming for green
practicing the alphabet of air
sssssss haaaaaa
The Liberation of Failing - Q2
135/1460
2-21-2025
I want to play–
with words and wire,
body and being,
in sets of three and
solitary subjects.
To feel the liberation
of failing to succeed.
I want to evolve
my own pattern of plaid,
criss crossing colors
bold and pale
until only I am satisfied.
Permanent Colors - Q3
211/1460
2-11-2025
The shape of my heart will
always hold you.
During times when
it’s the bright blue of sky and water.
and times when its
the deep purple of distance.
You will always be there,
colored into the permanent chambers,
a special crayon color chosen
from the deluxe box of life.
Embracing Darkness - Q4
260/1460
10-6-2025
I continually wonder why
the grip of existential and real
pain tightens for the things I
love (not the things I hate) most.
I try to grow downward
like the michorrizal networks I’m connected to,
embracing darkness
as comfort not fear.
Love and anxiety equally grab hold
in unexplainable ways.
So here I sit, confused,
reaching earthward for answers.
In This Life, 67 - Q5
407/1460
3-2-2026
I look back on this year
of poetry and prowess,
successes I might brushoff
with human-like disregard.
I’m learning how to fearlessly
track the coming years
that stretch in shorter numbers
each birthday.
This year I’m shooting for
Andrea’s attitude.
At the end I want to whisper-shout
“I loved my life!”
Hope Rising - Q6
443/1460
4-7-2026
Daily callouses coursen our souls.
Morning expectations break our hearts.
I desperately search for ways
to continue rising in the east.
To smooth my roughed coat
with an “atta girl” attitude.
To walk off-leash
towards hopeful forests
To follow the creeks of spring
overflowing with new leafy reflections
disregarding the previous frozen
winters we created with indifference.
To reach for Hope rising
with her positive children.
KM Digital Design
In March 2024 I retired from my 15-year digital and website design business, KM Digital Design. My small business grew out of a 25 year print graphics career, transforming into a full time business in 2010. Over the years I created scores of sites, logos and e-businesses. I loved making digital creations and working with my clients. But in 2024 I decided it was time to fully engage in the visual arts for the first time in my life. With three solo exhibits in the last 2 years, I’m hoping to finally realize my life’s ambition.