ABOUT KAREN
Karen L. Maness' unique studio practice is a fusion of painting expansive landscapes and capturing intimate human stories, reflecting her simultaneous career in American theatre. Her Art celebrates the universal connection people share with their environments and each other. She delves into the constancy of time and the fleeting moments of human interaction. Her works transform spaces and beckon viewers to immerse themselves in her infinite landscapes. Her studio practice and design work encompass public Art, exhibitions, consultation, and corporate commissions. Maness' paintings have been exhibited nationally and are part of collections worldwide. She is also a founding member and faculty at Atelier Dojo, an Austin school dedicated to the language of figurative painting.
As Assistant Professor of Practice at the University of Texas at Austin, Karen L. Maness advocates mastery of physical painting skills to communicate fluently in physical, virtual, augmented, and mixed realities. She has worked extensively in theatre, themed attractions, industrial displays, and music tours and has taught master painting classes in the USA and abroad.
In her influential roles as Associate Director of the Texas Performing Arts Fabrication Studios, Karen L. Maness leads the delivery of project-based collaborative, interdisciplinary courses. She aims to develop nimble students for the 21st-century workforce, instilling in them the skills and mindset needed for success in the ever-evolving arts industry.
She is the co-author of the award-winning The Art of the Hollywood Backdrop, the definitive behind-the-scenes history of Hollywood's motion picture scenic art, the Director of the Texas Performing Arts Hollywood Backdrop Collection, and co-curator of attendance record-setting Boca Raton Museum of Arts' 2022 world premier exhibition, Art of the Hollywood Backdrop: Cinema's Creative Legacy, with production designer Thomas A. Walsh.
In 2017, Maness co-created the world's first educational Hollywood motion picture scenic art collection, working with The Art Directors Guild Archives Backdrop Recovery Project, J.C. Backings, Texas Performing Arts, and the University of Texas at Austin College of Fine Arts, and featured as the cover story of the L.A. Times and on CBS Sunday Morning.
Maness serves as the Hollywood Backdrop Collection director, helping make the collection accessible through museum exhibitions and hands-on painting courses to empower 21st-century artists and designers with digital-analog fluidity.
In 2024, Maness received the United States Institute of Theatre Technology Distinguished Achievement Award in Scenic Design and Technology. She is the first scenic artist in USITT's 84-year history to receive this award.
Artist Statement
MANESS's career in the American Theatre has profoundly affected her instincts and practice as a studio artist, ever reminding her of the palpable, dynamic, spacial interplay between character, story, and environment.
Karen Maness
GOOD DAD studios - e4
2801 S. I-35, Austin, TX 78741
Teaching
Empowering artists with the command and language of painting and visualization is at the heart of Maness’ teaching. Assistant Professor of Practice at The University of Texas at Austin, College of Fine Arts, Maness supports students through courses in the Department of Theatre & Dance, the School for Design and Creative Technology, and the Moody College of Communication Department of Radio Television and Film. As Associate Director at the Texas Performing Arts Fabrication Studios, she trains student employees, artists, and fabricators to work on full-scale public-facing projects in public art, opera, theater, and attractions. She has taught master painting classes in the United States and Costa Rica.
What People Are Saying
“Karen Maness is a great teacher who encourages the students to develop their own painting styles while still guiding them to become better painters. She values the growth of her students and always tries to engage with them in her class.” — Chris Yoo, Set designer, Alita Battle Angel - Twentieth Century Fox
“This class was exceptional. Karen takes a deep interest in her students' art and the students themselves as artists. She is a compassionate educator, always cheerful, always ready to give feedback and share her wealth of knowledge. I saw my painting skills increase far more than I thought possible. She has the unique ability of all good educators – that you want to make them proud.” - UT Austin Student
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