Karen McDiarmid studied photography at the Banff Centre in the 1970's and subsequently, her work as a clinical counsellor and photographer have taken her around the world, most recently to northern India, Tibet, Bhutan and Baffin Island. After spending four decades in Banff, she returned to the coast and is currently living on Cortes Island, where she's spending her time painting, writing and cold water swimming.
"These paintings are part of my "In a Time of Plague" series, and are set on Cortes Island and in the Canadian Rockies. They explore ideas of whimsy and danger, and the intersection of beauty and terror inherent in the years of pandemic and climate crisis."