Drawings & Paintings

These paintings are collages of freshly painted and previously made paintings; recycled materials such as photocopies of paintings, acetate and industrial printing materials from the family screen printing business; handmade marbelized and paste paper; hand cut block prints and hand cut stencils. They grow from an interest in palimpsetic histories, stenciling, printmaking and pochoir, from trips to eastern Slovakia, and from making drawings of my own sculpture and pottery. There is ongoing influence and interaction between my painting, sculpture and doodling.

Contact Karen for information about purchasing art and pottery.

Palcho's Products - Drawings and Paintings - Interior Hervatov

Hervatov Interior: Stencilled Wall Detail

My cousin's husband Peter holds the keys to many of eastern Slovakia's architectural gems because he is the historian in charge of many restorations. Walls inside many of the churches are stencilled with overlapping, layered, and intertwined designs. I sketched, photographed and used the stencils as the starting point for layered paintings.

Palcho's Products - Drawings and Paintings - Jedlinka

Jedlinka. 2006. 30x22" Acrylic

This is an early painting in which you can see images that evolved along with the layering. Perhaps you can find an image of a pot and sphere in the lower right- as my painting are also deeply rooted in my pottery, there is a constant interchange between the two.

Studies and sketches related to Paintings

Sketches 2008. Ink, relief printing.

Ink Drawing, 2004

This is one of early ink drawings based on the imagery I saw.

Palcho's Products - Drawings and Paintings - Church Hervatov

Church in Hervatov, Slovakia

Hervatov Interior: Stencilled Wall Detail

On a 2004 pilgrimage to eastern Slovakia, home to my Palcho ancestors and living family, I was intrigued by the stenciled interiors of the region's famed wooden churches. My family's business in screen printing (a stencil based process) goes back to 1890 when my great grand-uncle started the first industrial screen printing business in the US. I visit my cousins in Slovakia often. We hunt mushrooms, cook goulash over the fire, and play accordion and sing all night in the woods and the garden.

Newsletter Signup

Sign up for monthly newsletters to learn about upcoming classes and events.

!
Something went wrong. Please check your entries and try again.

kpalcho@gmail.com | (610) 389-8316 | Fleetwood, PA
Serving the greater Philadelphia and Reading, PA regions

All photos courtesy of Karen

Scroll to Top