Karena Massengill Biography

I am originally from Ukiah, California. As a child I attended art lessons at the Mendocino Art Center in northern California and later pursued my Bachelor of Fine Art Degree by attending Goddard College in Vermont, California College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland, and graduated from Temple University, Tyler School of Fine Art in Philadelphia in 1975.

At this time I immigrated to Canada where I worked as an artist and was the recipient of numerous grants for exhibiting my work, for public art projects, and working with students to create works of art. I trained as a welder-fitter at George Brown College, and later, attended the University of Toronto, graduating with a Bachelor in Art Education and Industrial Technology in 1983. I also met and married my Australian husband in Canada before we moved to Long Beach, California in 1986.

I returned to graduate school in 1991 to work on my Master of Fine Art in Sculpture, graduating in 1993 from California State University Fullerton.

I enjoy exploring the unknown. I primarily work in sculpture and painting, at times in conjunction with digital imaging. It is with passion that I tackle new technologies, ideas, and pursue my personal expression. It matters to me that people either feel something when they look at my work, or are inspired to think about new and different possibilities for themselves.