Soul-Stirring Painting

by Becky Slatten

Cover Artist Karen Treuting

IT MAY SURPRISE those who admire Karen Treuting’s artwork to learn that painting is just a hobby for the talented artist. And though she would also call it her passion, Treuting has to deliberately carve out time in her busy life as a wife, mother and residential realtor to create her whimsically beautiful paintings.

Born the fourth of five children in McComb, Mississippi, Karen comes by her talent naturally, the proof being that both her mother and uncle are artists. And though she enjoyed her creative pastimes, she opted to pursue a nursing degree in college. “Nursing was my first love,” says Treuting, who spent the majority of her career in labor and delivery, neonatal ICU and the ER. But with a husband who constantly traveled for business and the arrival of her two children, Karen made the decision to stay home and become a full-time mom.

Once her son and daughter were school-aged and relatively self-sufficient, however, Karen launched a brand new career in residential real estate because it afforded her more flexibility than nursing. “I’ve always worked,” she says. “I always have to be doing something. Even when my children were small, I was the president of the PTA and always at their school,” she laughs. “Oddly enough, my nursing training has come in handy in my real estate career. My experience helping patients and their family members through difficult situations has translated to walking my clients through stressful real estate transactions. A home is likely the most expensive purchase most people will ever make, and it can be nerve-racking!”

Now, 15 years later, her kids are grown, and she is busier than ever in a hot real estate market, which makes it even more difficult to find the time to pursue her passion for painting. She says, “I try to not let work interfere with my Wednesday afternoon art class,” but admits it’s not easy to juggle the demands of the job and keep her Wednesday appointment with her paintbrushes and canvas. “It’s about the only time I get to paint these days.”

Though Karen has always enjoyed painting, she didn’t really make time for it until fate arranged a meeting with local artist and teacher, Gretchen Armbruster. “I started painting with Gretchen off and on years ago when she was still teaching in her dining room,” smiles Karen. Armbruster has since established her art school and studio in downtown Covington, and starting just before the advent of the 2019 Covid 19 shutdowns, Treuting has become a Wednesday afternoon regular, where she says she’s formed a strong bond with her classmates. “We all come from very different backgrounds, but we have so much in common” says Karen. “It makes art class so much fun.” It’s also interesting to note that Karen’s daughter Katherine has inherited the family gift as well. “She’s a very talented artist,” says Treuting, “and she’s also a nurse!”

Treuting has only one criteria when it comes to selecting the subject matter for her paintings. “Whether it’s a photograph or a family memory, it has to stir my soul. I only paint things that make me happy,” she says. The cover painting, titled Darlings, was inspired by an image taken by famous photographer, Flip Schulke in the 1970s because the beauty wearing the cat-eye sunglasses and bathing cap so closely resembles Karen’s grandmother, Beatrice, whom they called Darlin’. Treuting has developed a refined eye and talent for choosing unique and whimsical subjects, and her expressive use of color makes her work distinctive and eye-catching.

Though she stays busy with work and her art during the week, lately Karen and her husband, Jimmy, spend as many weekends as they can together at their lakehouse on Big Bay Lake. “It’s certainly not as often as we’d like. Now that he’s able to work from home and doesn’t have to travel for business as much, it’s like we’re dating again,” she laughs. Hopefully, Treuting will also slow down one of these days and find more time to create the paintings that can’t help but make us smile.

To inquire about available art for your current home or a lead on your next dream house, reach out to Karen at karen@ treuting.com. She is a Luxury Collection Specialist with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices | Preferred REALTORS®.