“My mission as an artist is to explore women’s paths toward equality while weaving my own story into the larger human narrative. I use layered textures, symbolic materials, and luminous finishes to express both fragility and strength, revealing the grace that exists alongside struggle.”
KAREN FIKE
BIO & c.v.
BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION
Karen Fike (b. 1969, New York) is a Chicago-based visual artist whose acrylic mixed-media paintings explore figurative abstraction, feminine strength, and the emotional complexity of the human experience. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts, Cum Laude, in Theater and Scenic Art from the University of Texas at Arlington.
Fike’s work centers on women as vessels of resilience, transformation, and grace. Through layered textures, flash glazes, and dimensional surface treatments, her paintings shift with light and perspective, creating what she describes as “living works of art” where imagery appears and recedes through movement and reflection.
Her work has been exhibited internationally through Artbox.Project’s at the New York Art Expo (Manhattan), Swiss Art Expo (Zurich), and Basel 2.0 (Switzerland). Domestically, she has exhibited at the Wausau Museum of Contemporary Art, 116 Gallery (St. Charles, IL), Woman Made Gallery (Chicago), Zhou B Art Center (Chicago), and 33 Contemporary Gallery. She is represented by 33 Contemporary (Chicago) and Influx Gallery (London).
In 2023, Fike created the public sculpture “Rocking Love and Hope in Joliet,” an 8-foot painted guitar for the Ready2Rock Joliet Public Art Exhibit, now permanently displayed at the entrance to the Joliet Area Historical Museum.
An ardent advocate for women’s rights, Fike regularly uses her art to raise awareness and funds for organizations such as Planned Parenthood. She created a live painting titled “You Don’t Own Me” at the Planned Parenthood Illinois Political Winter Fundraiser, co-chaired by U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth and Dick Durbin.
Her work has been featured in ArtsyShark and SuboArt Magazine. She is a member of the Evanston Arts Council, Chicago Alliance of Visual Artists, and Woman Made Gallery.
CURRICULUM VITAE
Karen Fike
Painter
b. 1969, New York, USA
Lives and works in Chicago, Illinois
📧 karen@karenfikeart.com
🌐 karenfikeart.com
📞 773-710-9556
Education
University of Texas at Arlington
Bachelor of Fine Arts, Cum Laude, 1992
Professional Memberships
Evanston Arts Council
Chicago Alliance of Visual Artists
Chicago Artists Coalition
Woman Made Gallery
Professional Experience
Scenic Artist & Visual Artist | 1987–Present
Philanthropy
DIFFA / Art for Life Chicago
2025 “Shedding My Skin” & “Dream Child” Donation Paintings
Jurors: Amy Kartheiser (Amy Kartheiser Design), Peter Gahan (Detroit Art Specialists)
2024 “Pride” Donation Painting
Jurors: Amy Kartheiser (Amy Kartheiser Design), Peter Gahan (Detroit Art Specialists)2023 “Fcking Fabulous”* Donation Painting
Jurors: Amy Kartheiser, Peter Gahan
Group Exhibitions
2025
Small Works Exhibition – Woman Made Gallery, Chicago, IL
Radiance – Sergio Gomez, Curator, 215 Gallery, Evanston, IL
Dream Child – Sergio Gomez, Curator, 33 Contemporary, Palm Beach, FL
2024
Resilience – Sergio Gomez & Drew Harris, Curators, Artsy (Virtual Exhibition)
Glorious Point – Deanna Gibson, Curator, Juliet’s, Joliet, IL
Awakening Earth: Narratives of Spring – Sergio Gomez, Curator, Zhou B Art Center, Chicago, IL
Preposterous: The Absurdity of Dada – Juried Exhibition, 116 Gallery, St. Charles, IL
2023
Artbox.Project Miami Art Basel – Miami, FL
Chromatic Convergence – Sergio Gomez, Curator, Zhou B Art Center, Chicago, IL
Rhythm, Color & Movement: Seeing the Music – Juried Exhibition, 116 Gallery, St. Charles, IL
Sixth Midwest Open – Woman Made Gallery, Chicago, IL
Artbox.Project Zurich 5.0 – Swiss Art Expo, Zurich, Switzerland
Artbox.Project Basel 2.0 – Basel-Mulhouse, Switzerland
Artbox.Project New York Art Expo 2.0 – Manhattan, NY
Odyssey – Juried Virtual Exhibition, Influx Gallery, London, UK
Unbroken – Juried Exhibition, 116 Gallery, St. Charles, IL
Wausau Museum of Contemporary Art – National Juried Exhibition, Wausau, WI
Roe 2.0 – It Ain’t Over Yet – Woman Made Gallery, Chicago, IL
The Artistry of Beauty – 116 Gallery, St. Charles, IL
Live Painting
2023 Fighting Forward: Freedom for Every Body –
Planned Parenthood Illinois Political Winter Fundraiser
Co-Chairs: U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth & Dick Durbin
Public Art
2024 Love is the Answer, Joliet-Downtown Music Box Project, Joliet, IL
Public art program in collaboration with the Joliet City Center Partnership, the City of Joliet, and the Joliet Arts Commission, partially funded by an Illinois Arts Council Grant. Selected artists created site-specific works inspired by music and installed on utility boxes throughout downtown Joliet, linking each piece via QR code to the artist’s inspiration and story.
2023 Rocking Love and Hope in Joliet –
8-Foot Painted Guitar Sculpture, Ready2Rock Joliet Public Art Exhibit
Permanent Installation: Joliet Area Historical Museum
Publications
2024 Four-Page Artist Feature-Create Magazine Issue 45
2023 Two-Page Artist Feature – SuboArt Magazine
2023 You Don’t Own Me – ArtsyShark Artist Showcase
2023 No Apologies – ArtsyShark Artist Showcase
Private Collections
New York, NY
Philadelphia, PA
Maui, HI
Galveston, TX