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Karen Vance was born in Chicago into the Swartwout family,  made up of six generations of artists.  Her upbringing and education helped her find her passion and profession.  Karen studied at the Art Institute of Chicago, Village Art School with the late Joe Abbrescia,  in Skokie, Illinois,  Northern Illinois University, Denver Art Student’s League, and numerous studies with many of the finest living painters, including Carolyn Anderson, Clyde Aspevig, Scott Christensen, Mark Daley, Quang Ho, David Leffel, T.A. Lawson, Michael Lynch, William Reese, Richard Schmid, Burton Silverman, and Michael Workman.

Vance’s art career includes 12 years as a graphic artist and the past 24 years creating fine art professionally.  Karen’s paintings are in the permanent collections of Buffalo Bill Historical Museum – Whitney Gallery of Western Art, The University of Denver,  Wells Fargo Bank of Denver, First Interstate Bank of Wyoming and Montana, Winter Park Resort,  the Winter Park Arlberg Club,  Devil’s Thumb Ranch Resort and in notable private collections including, fellow artists; Quang Ho, Russell Chatham, and the late Hollis Williford.  Vance is a member of the National Arts Club, and California Art Club, a Signature Member of the National Academy of Professional Plein Air Painters, Emeritus Signature Member of Rocky Mountain Plein Air Painters, and is a Master Signature Member of American Women Artists and Plein Air Painters of Colorado.   

Karen has had feature articles in Art of the West,  Southwest Art,  Wildlife Art, Artist‘s, InForm Art, and Western Art Collector magazines, as well as the books, “Enchanted Isle: The History of Plein Air Painting on Santa Catalina Island”, Dust on my Shoes, Sun at my Back” by Deborah Chapin, and “Landscapes of Colorado”, by Ann Daley of the Denver Art Museum where she was featured on the cover. In February of 2007 Karen received a 50 painting commission from Bob and Suzanne Fanch.  This group of paintings depict images of Grand County, Colorado and are permanently installed at the Devil’s Thumb Ranch Resort, 10 miles North of Winter Park, Colorado, where Vance resides.

Awards and Exhibitions:

William E. Weiss Purchase Award  - Buffalo Bill Cody Whitney Museum of Western Art

Best Painting Award – Buffalo Bill Cody Show and Auction

People’s Choice Award-  Buffalo Bill Cody Show and Auction

People’s Choice Award -  C. M. Russell Show and Auction

Arlene Hooker Fay Memorial Award – C. M. Russell Show and Auction

Best of Show –  Rocky Mountain Plein Air Painter’s National Invitational

Director’s Award -  Rocky Mountain Plein Air Painter’s National Invitational

Publisher’s Choice Award -  Rocky Mountain Plein Air Painter’s National Invitational

Best of Show – Nomades Del Arte National Art Invitational

Best of Show  - Colorado Governor’s Invitational – Loveland Art Museum

Buffalo Bill Historical Center – Teaching Grant

Honored Guest Artist – Women Artists of the West

“Award of Excellence” – Honored Guest Artist – Women Artists of the West

Plein Air Painter’s of America, Catalina Island, CA – Guest Artist Award

“A Natural World Observed”- National Arts Club, New York, NY

University of Tulsa – Swartwout Family Exhibition

American Art in Miniature - Gilcrease Museum, Tulsa, OK

Bradford Brinton Museum – Biennial Exhibition,  Big Horn, WY

Bradford Brinton Museum – “Ladies Choice” Exhibition

Denver History Museum, Denver, CO - Arts for Education Exhibition 

Hockaday Museum, Kalispell, MT – Annual Exhibition