I meet Karen Blair at her light-filled second floor studio in the McGuffey Art Center, Charlottesville’s artists’ cooperative. Tall and slender, Blair, who is 58, has classic blue-eyed, blond good looks and I’m not surprised to learn that she worked as a fashion model for Richmond’s once-famous ladies’ specialty shop, Montaldo’s, after her graduation from UNC Greensboro.
Though her degree was in fine arts, Blair’s route to becoming a professional artist was circuitous; she did not take up painting until about 10 years ago when her youngest children—twins—were in fourth grade. Her star has been on the rise ever since, and she has had shows in Richmond and Charlottesville galleries. Her work has also been acquired by a number of corporate collections, including Phillip Morris USA, Capital One, Couric Clinical Cancer Center, UVA Hospital and The Jefferson Hotel.
