Karen Glaser

(American, b.1954)

Spider Sharks, 2007

Ray School, 2008

Karen Glaser has been photographing underwater ecosystems—such as saltwater oceans, freshwater springs, outdoor swimming pools, and wild swamplands—for over two decades. Taking her camera both above and below the surface of Florida’s wetlands and America’s coastal waters, she captures diverse forms of life that have existed since prehistoric times. Glaser’s photographs of such remote spaces have a timeless quality that evokes the style of scientific illustrations and idealized paintings that were frequently created prior to the invention of photography. Taken with a 35mm camera and only using available light, the images appear distinctively grainy, further abstracting these rarely seen worlds. They elevate the complexity and fragility of aquatic systems that lie beyond the day-to-day perspective for most people.

Karen Glaser received her BFA from the Kansas City Art Institute, Kansas City, Missouri (1976) and her MFA in photography from Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana (1980). She has taught at Columbia College Chicago since 1980.

http://karenglaserphotography.com

PAST PORTFOLIO

Dome Amid the Waters, 2000

Great Blue Heron at Three Sisters Spring, 2000

Monday Afternoon at Silver Glen Spring, 2002