Artist Statement
Hello — I’m so happy to share my art with you.
I work primarily in acrylics, often weaving in mixed media and collage. I’m drawn to texture, mark-making, and layers — sometimes building them up, sometimes covering them over — letting each piece unfold intuitively. My process is unplanned and responsive, guided by curiosity and a sense of creative freedom. I try to stay open, grateful, and present with inspiration as it arrives.
In daily life, I’m a caregiver for adults with disabilities — work that teaches me patience, empathy, and resilience. But in the rhythm of caregiving, it can be easy for my own voice to grow quiet. Art brings that voice roaring back.
My art dances with color and movement — a reflection of what stirs within me but isn’t always visible. Each canvas becomes a space without rules, where I can explore, express, and let go.
My art is an invitation — to feel something unexpected, to breathe differently in a space. Whether through vibrant color, layered texture, or expressive motion, each piece is meant to shift the atmosphere — to energize, elevate, or offer a moment of quiet reflection. I hope my art creates a sense of presence and possibility, wherever it lives.
Artist Bio
Kara Jean Estey is a contemporary abstract artist known for her vibrant palette, expressive brushwork, and intuitive approach to composition. Guided more by feeling than formula, she builds each painting layer by layer—experimenting with color, mark-making, and materials until the piece takes on a life of its own.
Born in Boston in 1979 and raised in Maine, Kara began her creative journey exploring landscapes in her early 30s. However, it wasn’t until her 40s that she discovered her true artistic voice in abstraction—a medium that offers her a deep sense of freedom and expression.
She lives and works in Maine with her husband and their dog Koala in a group home where they care for adults with developmental disabilities. Art has become a powerful outlet for her to reconnect to her creativity and voice.
Largely self-taught, Kara works primarily in acrylics, incorporating graphite, charcoal, watercolor pencils, acrylic inks, and hand-crafted collage papers into her process. Her work has sold internationally and around the United States, and is currently exhibited at the Maine Art Collective galleries in Portland and Ogunquit, and was previously shown at Casco Bay Artisans in Portland, and River Arts in Damariscotta.