Self Portrait by Karen Maugans
Originally from Vermont, Karen Maugans moved to Asheville in 2017 after living in many parts of the US and abroad. “I settled here for the art community, open-minded people and mountains,” she says. A retired speech-language pathologist, Maugans used her photography as a way to help non-verbal, autistic clients connect with their environment. “This led to a more serious interest in photography for myself, which became my career when I retired.”
Maugans’ work is inspired by still life and portrait paintings of 17th-century European and Dutch masters, with flowers and food as her main subject matter. Karen Maugans Gallery, which Maugans shares with painter Raphaella Vaisseau and photographer Walter Arnold, is open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. “I encourage visitors to think outside the box of what they think photography is or can be,” Maugans says. “My mission is to inspire creativity beyond the usual.”
Karen Maugans Gallery is located at Riverview Station, 191 Lyman Street #104, on the far right side of the building, in Asheville. For more information, visit KarenMaugansGallery.com, call 407.456.2225, or find Karen Maugans Gallery on Facebook and Instagram.
