Karen Mangold’s interest in art started in second grade when her teacher assigned the students to draw the face of another student. Drawing came naturally to her and it was fun. In high school, her aunt gave her a set of oil paints, and after a few lessons, Karen fell in love with it. After high school, she studied business and commercial art and made a career in graphic design and printing for the next 30 years.

Although she was married with two sons and working full time, the pull of fine art was very strong, so she made time for art workshops to study oil painting and sculpture. She was lucky enough to live close to the Kerrville home of the Cowboy Artists of America Museum in the 1990’s and took several workshops from the likes of Fritz White, Grant Speed, Mehl Lawson, Gary Carter, Bruce Greene and Loren Entz. During that time, she participated in several curated gallery and museum western art shows.

In 2018, she began to invest more time into her artistic practice with the goal of enjoying a career as a working artist. Her primary interest is animal portraiture and also enjoys painting animals within their native landscape.

Select Shows & Exhibitions

2025 - Oil Painters of America, Western Regional Exhibition, Illume Gallery West, Philipsburg, Montana

2005 & 2025 - Phippen Western Art Show & Sale, Prescott, AZ

2018 - Museum of Western Art Annual Roundup Exhibition & Sale, Kerrville, TX

2005 - Mountain Oyster Club Western Art Show & Sale, Tucson, AZ

Professional Associations

Oil Painters of America, Associate Member 2024 - Present

Women Artists of the West, Associate Member 2018