John & Elise Pawwinnee (Grandparents)
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Karen Box Anderson
Southern Ute
Maikù (Hello) and welcome, thank you for visiting my website.
I’m a mixed media artist who works with sterling silver, copper, enamel, lapidary and semiprecious stones. My pieces are big and dramatic.
My love of art and creating began at an early age. My first real art piece was when I was around seven years old. Our school was asked to write a slogan and paint a picture about how kids could stay safe while crossing the streets. My slogan was ‘Wear White at Night!’ I drew a picture of myself wearing a very stylish white long sleeve shirt and white pants with a black belt. I won the contest and my work went to Washington, DC. I received an honorable mention. That pretty much set the wheels in motion for me.
I have always considered myself a creative person. I like to express my creativity and self awareness through watercolors, photography, gardening, music, dance, drumming and working with my hands. That is why I also enjoyed being a massage therapist (retired) and now taking piano lessons.
My deep rooted history as a Southern/Northern Ute Indian comes from a long line of artists, healers and an enduring awareness of the spirituality that surrounds us. I appreciate all types of art. I feel traveling to other countries and traveling our own country is very important to understand different cultures, customs and demographics. My love of family, heritage, the love of animals and appreciating and respecting nature helps me stay grounded.
I grew up in two worlds, the white world and my Native world. My dad is retired Air Force and thought we would have more opportunity to live and work in the white world. My parents also exposed us to our Ute culture. We attended powwows, our annual Ute Bear Dance in the spring and Sundance in the summer.
My summers were spent in Utah on the Uintah and Ouray Reservation with all my relatives.
I have always loved jewelry and I never leave the house without a pair of earrings on, even for yard work. In 2014 I took my first jewelry class and was hooked. The following year, my sister (Debra Box Branson) and I got serious and enrolled in metalsmithing classes at The Denver School of Metal Arts in Denver, Colorado and Colorado Center for Metal Arts in Pueblo, Colorado. I also take private lessons from Ken Kirkbride in Colorado Springs, Colorado. I have taken numerous workshops in varies metal smith modalities and enameling to learn more about this multi-dimensional art form and most of all to pick each teachers’ brain! I believe you can never stop learning and it just makes me humble and appreciate beautiful, well constructed finished pieces and that is what I strive for as well.
My sister, Debra, and me share a studio in downtown Colorado Springs, Colorado at Cottonwood Center for the Arts, studio 132. That is where I work 5 days a week and sell my jewelry or you may visit me online at karenboxanderson.com
I have shown (pre-pandemic) at the Colorado Fine Arts Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
August 19 - 20, 2023 Santa Fe Indian Market, Santa Fe, New Mexico.
August 20 -21, 2022 Santa Fe Indian Market, Santa Fe, New Mexico.
February - March 2022, Artist in residence teaching enamel at The Colorado Springs School, Colorado Springs, Colorado
August 21 - 22, 2021 Santa Fe Indian Market, Santa Fe, New Mexico.
May 29, 2021, Ute Indian Museum Show.
May 26 - June 2, 2021 Virtual Native Treasures Market.
November 27 - December 11, 2020 Virtual Winter Indian Market.
August 1- 31, 2020 Virtual Indian Market.
January 2019 Commissioned to make several enameled copper and silver pieces for the Colorado Fine Arts Center to celebrate their 100 years.
August 2018 Santa Fe Indian Market, Santa Fe, New Mexico.
December 2018 Colorado History Museum (Written on the Land), Denver, Colorado.
2014 - present one day/weekend shows or festivals.
Tog’oiak’
(Thank You)