Karen Mingarelli was born in Halifax Nova Scotia and attended the Nova Scotia School of Art and took “Lighthouse” courses at night in watercolour and oils and colour mixing. She moved to Ontario and continued her studies at the Ottawa School or Art for 3 years and diversified her art portfolio with sketching in pencil and charcoal. Her wide variety of subjects reflected the back and forth of a style finding itself, and the adventure into the various domains of art. Finally landing, after a visit to Italy and the Etruscan artefact in the museums around Florence, in the pottery and vessels of the early Etruscan, circa 600 b.c. with their irregularities, meaningful, raw symbols and muted rich colours. Each of the pieces is done to scale, with the symbols preserved on the canvas as exact as possible, even to the oldest pieces where it is impossible to tell what they were, it is replicated in detail, exact.

I have included several of my favourite pieces, one wonders at the small bases they used, how they ever stood up but they must have for the small bases persisted throughout many years. Of course the Greek traders with their good had a profound affect on the art and the pottery of ancient Etruria, and vice versa, they were mutually admirable of each other’s craftsmanship.

Karen resides now in Aylmer with her husband, Dr. Angelo Mingarelli, and is an active member of the Association and a devoted, patient painter as these pieces are time consuming.