Born and raised in Atlanta, GA, artist Karen Deans developed a love for all forms of art at a young age. Teaching herself to paint, Deans went on to earn an Art History degree from the American University in Paris, where she spent multiple years studying the works of turn-of-the-century European painters. After studying painting and drawing at the Corcoran College of Art and Design in Washington D.C., Deans went on to spend four years in Japan, where she developed an appreciation for various Asian art forms including Japanese pottery and woodblock printing, Chinese painting, Afghan carpets and Indian textiles. Since then, she began fusing all of these influences as well as the inspiration she gets from her natural surroundings in every piece she creates. Today, she is known for her collection of wooden tiles painted with oil paints each hand made from her studio in Washington D.C., where she lives with her husband and three children.