Karen MURK
Born: 1964
Media: ceramic

A Bay Area native now living in Petaluma, Karen Murk embraces the use of local materials and atmospheric firing methods in her work. Influenced by her Norwegian grandparents (a silversmith and a painter) as well as her father’s drawings, Karen has always relied on art as a means of self-expression and reverence for nature.

Karen’s ceramic practice brings together hand building techniques and pit firing. She seeks to allow evidence of the hand, the tool, and the fire to remain visible. By incorporating seaweed foraged from the Sonoma Coast, redwood shavings, and other organic combustibles, Murk forges a tangible connection between each piece and the Northern California landscape in which it was made.

A former surfer, Murk brings a lasting awareness of balance, rhythm, and motion to her studio practice. She also draws from a career in mathematics. Geometry informs her approach to form, while clean lines, simplicity, and a sense of movement give her work its distinctive visual language.

Through vessels and sculptural forms, Murk invites viewers to consider resilience, change, and their relationship to the natural world. Her developing body of work is rooted in continued curiosity and experimentation. Karen enjoys bringing together the measured clarity of geometry and a deep sense of place.