“Remember to smile, play and then push on through!” This message keeps Karen Stamper, an English collage artist and CVP alumni, motivated in the studio. Karen draws inspiration from harbors and the urban shoreline where she works in concertina sketchbooks. She then transforms this experience and collected ephemera into rich, layered collage paintings. In this insightful conversation, Karen generously shares her expertise, the creative process of the constructing techniques to the mindset art of deconstructing and editing to create more dynamic compositions. We are introduced to her exciting new abstract assemblages that have broken free from boundaries. They are grounded in her roots, serious but playful, with great presence and energy, just like the artist herself.