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Person of InterestBy: Sammy MackPortrait of an Artist |
Karen Walsh Haupt left big-city life behind to become a
painter.
Occupation: Painter and photographer.
Hometown: Manalapan, N.J.
Current residence: Naples, with her
husband, Jeff.
Life-changing events: She lost several friends on Sept. 11. Not long after, she was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. She quit a stressful job as a wholesale distributor, packed her paintbrush and headed for Florida. "I remember saying, ‘I just want to live somewhere tropical and be an artist.’"
Looking back: "It was a big gamble—it’s like putting on a blindfold and just jumping."
Where to spot her: Outside with her easel on Fifth Avenue South, on the sidewalk below her second-floor studio.
Her process: For commissioned family portraits, she starts with a photo session. Then she paints from the outline of her photograph, adding texture and light. "It’s probably 30 layers [of paint] until it’s done."
Portrait of a young artist: "I remember being in my kitchen as a little girl with the smock on, and my mom had all the paints out."
And a young entrepreneur: "I would paint abstract designs on T-shirts and sell them in high school."
New ventures: She recently started shooting commercial photography for companies such as
Stock Development.
Celebrity subject: "He’s actually the real model for Mufasa [from The Lion King]," she says of a portrait of a lion hanging in her studio. She saw the Disney muse at a conference in Orlando and was inspired to create her own painting.
High praise: "One of my clients said to me, ‘If my house was on fire, I would grab my children and my painting and run out.’"
Occupation: Painter and photographer.
Hometown: Manalapan, N.J.
Current residence: Naples, with her
husband, Jeff.
Life-changing events: She lost several friends on Sept. 11. Not long after, she was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. She quit a stressful job as a wholesale distributor, packed her paintbrush and headed for Florida. "I remember saying, ‘I just want to live somewhere tropical and be an artist.’"
Looking back: "It was a big gamble—it’s like putting on a blindfold and just jumping."
Where to spot her: Outside with her easel on Fifth Avenue South, on the sidewalk below her second-floor studio.
Her process: For commissioned family portraits, she starts with a photo session. Then she paints from the outline of her photograph, adding texture and light. "It’s probably 30 layers [of paint] until it’s done."
Portrait of a young artist: "I remember being in my kitchen as a little girl with the smock on, and my mom had all the paints out."
And a young entrepreneur: "I would paint abstract designs on T-shirts and sell them in high school."
New ventures: She recently started shooting commercial photography for companies such as
Stock Development.
Celebrity subject: "He’s actually the real model for Mufasa [from The Lion King]," she says of a portrait of a lion hanging in her studio. She saw the Disney muse at a conference in Orlando and was inspired to create her own painting.
High praise: "One of my clients said to me, ‘If my house was on fire, I would grab my children and my painting and run out.’"
