Artist Statement
There is no inkling in my childhood or younger days that what I’m about to tell you would happen to me. It is a huge surprise that I am now considered an “artist” and that people notice that I’m “creative.” In the last few years, I started to make pottery, learned to play the banjo and other instruments, and became a published author. These new forms of creative expression now take me all over the world and I have met the most wonderful people because of them.

One important thing that I’ve learned is that the arts are like anything: if you have the passion for it, set the intention, and keep at it, it can happen for you. I know many artists who have been artists all their life – and I don’t happen to be one of them. For most of my life, I’ve been a grounded, analytical, organized business person. Now I have a few more ingredients that bring me toward balance: intuition, writing, art, and music. Many people have commented on how they think that any of these areas are something “you have to be born with” or “talented at.” I’m living proof that this doesn’t have to be the case. I’m deeply grateful that many musicians and artists have shared what they know with me so that I can grow. I enjoy sharing my story and what I’ve learned so that other people can pursue their dreams and express their creativity. If you have something in you that’s wanting to be expressed, I hope you’ll consider trying it, right now. Who knows what delight it will bring you, or others?

One of my greatest delights is my horse, Hytez. She is 28 and I adopted her 7 years ago. I love combing her mane and tail. I save her hair and put it on pottery that’s hot out of the kiln. It sizzles and carbonizes, forming one-of-a-kind designs of black lightening bolts. I also gather feathers on my walks in beautiful Central Oregon and incorporate their beauty into my “horsehair pottery.” In addition, I create raku pottery. Based on an ancient Japanese tradition, my favorite translation of “raku” is “serendipity through fire.”

About Karen Grace Kassy
Karen Grace Kassy, MS, grew up in Colorado. Her mother recalls that one her first words was “Appaloosa,” and that she was fascinated by horses. No wonder, decades later, she eventually moved to the Pacific Northwest (where Appaloosa horses come from), bought a farm, and adopted a horse.

Karen holds two college degrees in business. Although successful in the corporate world – she was the youngest director of the conference division in a multi-million-dollar company – Karen’s journey was to take her in a different path. Eventually, she discovered the strong pull of her own intuition, writing abilities, and wanting to “help people help themselves.” Today, Karen works as an intuitive consultant, with clients all over the world. She has researched and developed a training program that shares the skill of intuition with audiences worldwide and has authored a best-selling book, Health Intuition: A Simple Guide to Greater Well-Being (foreword by Caroline Myss, PhD).

Recently, Karen learned to play the banjo (and other instruments) and make pottery. These passions inspired her to create workshops on “Intuition and Creativity” that she teaches internationally. Although a happy traveler, being a contributing part of the Central Oregon community is her great joy. She coordinates area musicians to play for patients at a local cancer treatment center. Karen also directed Newfoundland dog rescue for several years, helping coordinate adoption and find “forever” homes for these gentle giants of the dog world.

Karen lives near Bend, Oregon. The inhabitants of her small acreage, called “Farmony,” include Newfoundland dogs, a horse, two red-tailed hawks and their new baby (nesting in an ancient Juniper), and more gophers than she can count. She enjoys skiing, rock climbing, hiking, and anything else that gets her outdoors. One of her friends recently renamed an old outbuilding on her property, “The Pottery Barn” She can be found there most days, with the doors wide open to nature, playing with clay and smiling.

Artist Code: KKL
Visit Karen Kassy’s Web Site