“The professors pushed us but were also encouraging, and I loved learning from my talented, hard-working peers,” recalls Karen Ösp Pálsdóttir ’14 (General Fine Arts BFA).

These experiences sparked a sense of adventure in her course selection—something she advises current students to embrace. “You never know which classes or professors will be the most influential to your practice,” she notes. “On a whim, I took darkroom photography, and it ended up informing my paintings more than I could have imagined. I also enjoyed taking art history electives and ended up with enough credits to graduate with an Art History minor.”

Today, she continues to evolve as an artist saying, “My aspiration is always to continue making work and growing as a painter.” She is currently exhibiting in a duo show in Iceland alongside a great friend and fellow artist.