Karen Cornelius sees her work contributing to an ongoing contemporary dialogue on place and belonging. Cornelius was born in the United States, grew up in the Congo, attended high school in Kenya, returned to the United States for university, become a Canadian citizen while living in Ottawa, now lives in Winnipeg following two and half years working and living in Eritrea, northeast Africa.  She travels often engaging in projects related to her art practice.  Her travels have taken her to China, Africa, Europe, South America, the High Arctic and the Caribbean, as well as many places across North America.

She received a BFA from Moore College of Art in Philadelphia.  She studied Stanley William Hayter’s viscosity technique with Leonard Gerbrandt at the Ottawa School of Art. She studied waterless litho and salt etch with Nik Semenoff at the University of Saskatchewan and has continued her study into more environmentally responsible printmaking with Alfonso Crujera in the Canary Islands.

Her research and experimentation into electro-etching was published in the SGCInternational Graphic Impressions publication.

She has exhibited her work in numerous solo and juried exhibitions in Canada, United States, Europe, Africa and China. Her work is held in public, corporate and private collections around the world, including the Canadian Art Bank, National Archives of Canada, Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development, City of Ottawa, Ernst and Young, Abington Hospital in Philadelphia, Shenzhen University in China, Guanlan Printmaking Museum in China, Province of Manitoba, Manitoba Hydro, St. John’s College and St. Boniface Hospital in Winnipeg.