Click on a thumbnail to view the image.
Visit the gallery for more textures and projects.

Who am I?

Karen McClain has always been known for her keen sense of color and how it affects the total balance within each project as well as what is important to each specific client.

In 1980, Karen began a career in retail display which evolved into her own business, Karen McClain Visuals, Inc. in 1990. Inspired by her first sculpture—a giant saguaro cactus created as a retail display prop—Karen created a whole herd of characters and creatures designed as accent pieces as well as giant yard art animals. Her combinations of fantastic colors and shapes found their way onto one-of-a-kind-furniture pieces, turning them into collectible items of functional art.

The evolution into Decorative Painting came in conjunction with the development of her art. Clients wanted total spaces designed and the Decorative Industry was just starting to be exposed by the media. As the craft has evolved so has Karen's knowledge, from learning new techniques (ever changing) to experimenting with new products and their application. Karen is involved in teaching as well as studying all aspects of her profession.

I love to create with color. It is amazing to me that people donÕt have a highly developed color sense but that is my strength. I believe in balance, in designing what a room can handle both in color and personality. It's very important listen carefully to what your client is trying to tell you or to be able to coax out of them what they have in their mind's eye. Communication is essential. I believe it's very important to always keep up on current trends so that I can pass that knowledge on to my clientele. Practicality comes into play quite often so I am called upon to help each client make the best possible decision that will work the best with their expectations and budget concerns.

Learn more about Karen through her work...
Textures
Furniture
Sculptures
Moveable Art

the down.low
In recent years through her affiliation with PDCA, Karen has been instrumental in the challenge of professionalizing the Decorative Painting Industry in the state of Washington and with her work on the Decorative Alliance Forum within PDCA, across the United States.

Karen is a 9 year member of PDCA. She is the current Membership Chair for the Washington State Council, has served as the Secretary for the Washington State Council and was on the Executive Board of the Decorative Alliance Forum. In 2002 she was voted Contractor of the Year by the Washington State Council. The Angeleah Foundation is her newest endeavor, created for children affected by Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome.