Brooklyn Park Artist’s Work Showcased in Courage Kenny ‘Art of Possibilities’ Show
As an artist, Karen Wood sees things differently. You can see her vision the second you walk up to her Brooklyn Park house: just outside, an electrical box is painted with flowers.
Stepping inside the house, there’s even more color. Nearly all of that was created by Wood.
“I try to look for things that speak to me. So I try to bring out whatever is right there,” Wood said.
Wood experiments with all kinds of mediums, but she commonly works with acrylic paint and a pouring technique that allows her to be creative in unique ways. A favorite motif she commonly spots in her own artwork is dragons — something she’ll point out to you in her pieces, if you ask.
Karen Wood sits in front of one of her pieces: a shot of a bridge done in an acrylic pouring technique. This painting features a few of her dragons.
Powerful Expression
Wood’s creativity spills out everywhere into her space. It helped her overcome difficult times. Though she’s always been an artist, that outlet became a lifeline after an accident infected her right hand.
“It is called chronic regional pain syndrome, and that debilitated me for 25 years. I was bed-bound 90 percent of the day,” Wood said.
She began to heal five years ago, which she credits to adding food supplements to her diets. During that time, she also began to train to draw with her opposite hand.
“In the middle of that, I needed to do something artistic,” Wood explained.
Courage Kenny therapies helped bring Wood’s artistic expression back. Now, she can work with both hands. The ability to express herself again was powerful.
“Being able to have a passion, and a hobby, and something to look forward to, and a way to express myself, and to be able to share it with somebody was the most fun,” Wood said.
Wood shares a couple of her colorful art pieces in-progress in her garage art studio.
Art of Possibilities
Her work is on display now at Courage Kenny Rehabilitation Center’s Art of Possibilities show. The annual show at the Golden Valley facility displays art from exclusively creators with disabilities. It showcases many different mediums from local and national artists.
The show is juried, so works are selected and some get prizes. Everything is for sale, with 100 percent of the profits going to the artists. The gallery’s organizer, Casey Millhone, said it is a wonderful, inclusive environment for art.
“It kind of centers the energy of art as something powerful, and something inspirational,” Millhone explained.
Wood’s been participating in the gallery show for years. Now, the gallery is also showcasing her daughter Angela’s work. Wood is her daughter’s full-time caretaker, and gives Angela drawn-up creations to color and express herself through.
The gallery is open for anyone to come view at Courage Kenny and on Courage Art’s website. It’s also purchasable. People can stop by during business hours to view 480 different works throughout the first-floor hallways.
Wood said it’s wonderful seeing her work on display. On Wednesday night, the gallery held its opening reception, which Wood attended.
“To be able to just watch and see people’s expressions, and to feel like: ‘Wow. I’m a part of this.’ I’m a part of something again,” Wood said.
One of Wood’s paintings, “Horse Silhouette,” is on display and for sale at Art of Possibilities.
