Original Artwork & Illustration
Karin Bolstad
Karin Bolstad holds a BA in Illustration and Design from Western Washington University and training in Byzantine Iconography from Irene Perez of Icon Arts and traditional egg tempera painting from master painter Fred Wessel (making her, teacher-to-student, a descendant of painter Fra Angelico). She spent years working as a freelance and in-house illustrator and designer, but after the birth of her daughter in 2007, she realized her true calling: to tell her own stories with her own artwork (babies lead to ruthless prioritizing).
Her work centers on mythology, fairytales, and archetypal imagery, exploring themes of the Divine Feminine, women’s empowerment, and the feminine psyche through the lens of traditional icon painting and medieval illumination. Her primary medium is egg tempera with gold and silver leaf—a choice rooted in both aesthetic lineage and her commitment to sustainable, intentional materials. She works in the Pacific Northwest, where the landscape and ecology often inform her subjects, though her work is primarily female-figurative, drawing from folk narrative, symbolism, and internal landscape. Also: Dogs.