Karen Hallion grew up in Nahant, Massachusetts, She began pursuing art as a student at Swampscott High School, and after graduating in 1991, she spent two years studying liberal arts at the University of Vermont, before attending Ringling School of Art and Design in Sarasota, Florida. She graduated from Ringling in 1997 with a B.F.A. in Illustration. Karen's work has always centered around a general theme of fantasy, with a specific focus on mermaids. She is heavily influenced by the Art Nouveau movement, and Alphonse Mucha, as well as Audrey Kawasaki and Stephanie Pui-Mun Law. Her work has been shown at the Off the Wall gallery in Newburyport, as well as the Gulu Gulu Café in Salem.
