Behind The Scenes: Meet Karen Chandler

Karen Chandler, of Karen Chandler Fine Art, is what we call one of The Fab Four. She is one of four Bazaar Family members who have been with us since day one.

You might recognize her work from around town. She's the artist behind the two "Sarasota Heroes" murals on 2nd street representing Front Line workers during the pandemic, the "Shop Local" mural Downtown Sarasota on Main street in front of Mattisions, and the Sophia Loren mural at Bavaro's Restaurant.

At The Bazaar you may find her working on her latest masterpieces. She specializes in a unique pop art style. The work is available as originals, t-shirts, prints, and notecards. She has done custom work featuring pets, Bruce Springsteen, Elton John, Prince, and the Rolling Stones. She also has a rather extensive collection of vintage jewelry for sale.

About 18 years ago, she left New York for our area. She continues to be inspired by the "beautiful colors of Florida and the amazing women I have met!"

After many years of traditional training in oil painting, photography, design, and computer studies (interspersed with bartending and a variety of other day jobs) she began doing illustration work for all of the major publishing houses, including Random House, Simon & Schuster, and Bantam Books. She has covers for several Agatha Christie series, the R.L. Stine Goosebumps young adult series, and the Victoria Thompson Murder Mystery series, among others.

At the age of 28, Karen was selected to participate in the NASA and United States Air Force Art Programs. Her original oils for them hang in the Deputy Director’s office at the Kennedy Space Center, the Pentagon, and the National Aviation Museum at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio.

She first heard about The Bazaar through Facebook.

For more information about Karen, visit her website at KarenChandlerFineArt.com