FIAT LUX Canvas

CANVAS

VOLUME 5, 2018

Karen Shell

A New Lens On Life

“I can see things better now. I notice things that I didn’t notice before.”

— James

Karen Shell

Kids in Focus

Founder & Executive Director

Kidsinfocus.org

Karen Shell’s lifelong pursuit to help kids and families in need began in the

Kids in Focus is a nonprofit organization dedicated to giving at-risk youth the

early 90’s. In 2012 she founded Kids in Focus, built upon on the foundation of

chance to see themselves and the world in a new light, equipping them with

two-decades of serving at-risk youth. Familiar with the struggles these kids

essential life skills to make the shift from surviving to thriving.

face, Karen is driven by the desire to empower these young lives. Karen’s passion for life is a testament to seeing beyond one’s circumstances and her

When kids experience trauma such as poverty, homelessness, neglect and

career as a photographer has continually reminds her of the powerful value of

abuse, they disconnect from the world and from themselves. A camera in their

seeing outside oneself.

hands, with the right guidance and encouragement, can switch the light in their eyes back on. Through the restorative power of photography and with

The first Kids in Focus program was for a group of 18 homeless youth that

the guidance of dedicated mentors, Kids in Focus opens the eyes of youth

Karen had been mentoring for five consecutive years prior. Knowing this

to their own potential as they build the resilience they need to overcome the

first group of kids so well before the Kids in Focus program gave Karen the

challenges they face.

opportunity to clearly see the profound positive impact the program had in their lives. At the conclusion of that first program, Karen realized she had

Kids in Focus’ volunteer mentors have spent many thousands of hours

finally discovered the best way she could make a true difference in these kids’

inspiring and empowering the lives youth who need it most. Kids in Focus

lives. She feels her life’s journey has been preparing her for this purpose.

reaches these kids through partner organizations serving kids in need. Our always-growing list of partners include several foster care organizations (including AZ friends of Foster Children and Hope & a Future), Boys and Girls Club (serving kids in low income areas), Children First Leadership Academy (a school where 100% of the students are living at or below poverty line and the vast majority are homeless), and the tuition-free Sequoia Deaf School.

Optimism > Obstacles

Karen Shell for Fiat Lux

Kelly Vaughn, Writer

Radiant energy travels through space both visibly and invisibly — electromagnetic waves of light and heat.

Tangible. Intangible.

Kinetic.

Like Karen Shell.

On a cloudy Monday afternoon in Phoenix, she’s sitting outside a local coffee bar, talking about her work. More importantly to her, though, she’s talking about the work of the children she mentors through Kids in Focus, a program for children ages 10 to 14 who come from backgrounds of neglect, homelessness, poverty or abuse — or a combination of those factors.

The program puts cameras in the children’s hands. And through those cameras, the children can see the world in shades of hope, adventure and happiness.

“Alongside my professional career, I’ve always given a lot of my time to at-risk kids,” Karen says. “I was always driven to give back. I had more than my share of challenges growing up, but they empowered me to teach these kids that they have choices in life.”

Kids in Focus launched in 2012, with a pilot group of 18 students that Karen had been mentoring at a school for homeless children for five years prior. They started with disposable film cameras. They ended with an exhibition of their work. And Karen found a whole new channel for her energy.

She always knew she was going to be an artist. Creativity was an escape for Karen — from the hardships she faced as a child to the pressures of everyday life as an adult. So, as a scholarship student at ASU, she switched her major from graphic design to photography, launching Shell Photographics.

“My first few rolls of film didn’t even come out,” she remembers. “But I was just trying to use my scholarship.

I worked two jobs full-time through school. One was at a magazine, sending pages to a typesetter. I intended to continue down that career path, but it was a blessing in disguise that I found photography, instead.”

The trail to success was a long, sometimes rocky one, but it never occurred to Karen to “get a real job,” she says.

Instead, she lived on popcorn. She worked two or three jobs at a time. She was constantly changing clothes in her car between gigs. She was meeting with advertising agencies and directors. Things moved slowly. Her confidence was dwindling.

But then, an opportunity grew from working nights and weekends for a Glamour Shots portrait studio. A licensee was looking for a manager to revitalize his Tucson studio.

“I was in a hole and felt like I couldn’t get out, so I met with him — mostly out of curiosity,” she says.

She got the job, promising herself she’d stay for one year and one year only to try to breathe new life into the struggling franchise.

She did.

“It restored my confidence because I really excelled,” she says. “I turned a tiny store in an abandoned part of the mall into one of the most successful franchises. I was named manager of the year.”

The franchisee offered her part ownership in the business to try to tempt her to stay, but she declined, sticking to her rule. Instead, she took out a small loan, bought new camera equipment, moved back to Phoenix and gained a few commercial clients.

Not long after, Karen rented her own studio.

“It was a huge risk — I had no idea how to pay for it — but the bigger the risk, the bigger the reward,” she smiles.

“I’m so much better suited as a photographer. I’ve been able to travel the world, meet interesting people, be my own boss, go interesting places and learn interesting things. Photography uses both sides of my brain. I can use my entrepreneurial spirit, be creative and be outside and be physical.”

And those are the traits, the strengths and the ambitions she hopes to share with the students in the Kids in Focus program.

When she tells their stories, she tells them from memory.

No. From heart.

Linnea was shy at first. At the party celebrating the students’ work, she wanted to get up and speak. She still reaches out.

Eric had Bell’s palsy from stress and hadn’t been to school in two years. He came to the most recent show opening.

Dominick was in a lot of pain. Through the program, he went from feeling invisible to feeling worth. He became the valedictorian of his class.

There are dozens of stories like these, which are simplified here. But through them all, the message is clear: In many cases — in most cases —human connection and a pure drive to creativity can help children see the beauty of things.

And the mentors — there are two students assigned to each of them — feel changed through the program, too. It makes them more self-aware, Karen says. It is an experience outside of their personal and professional bubbles.

“The camera is just a tool,” Karen says. “When kids go through traumas, they disconnect. By pairing them with trained mentors and handing them cameras, we see light switches going off. Kids that are painfully shy and withdrawn? Their eyes light up. If they feel invisible, the program lights their fire.”

And beyond that, the exhibitions teach them a sense of pride, of confidence, of self-worth. There, the kids’ evolution into leaders is most tangible.

Kinetic.

“I have this rare opportunity to teach them as much about life as I can,” Karen says. “We have a pledge, and we go through it word-by-word and talk about the meaning of it. It’s about dignity. Respect. A contribution to family, to community and to humanity. We talk about optimism over obstacles.”

For everyone, there is transformation.

Movement.

Energy.

“It makes me more connected,” Karen says. “These kids can think that the world is boring and ugly. Then they see the beauty in things. We’re not just giving kids cameras.

We’re giving them the ability to change their lives. We’re giving them the life tools to build the resiliency they’re going to need to face life’s challenges, to live happy, productive lives.”

Allison It won’t take Allie long to start telling you about the pets in her family.

Allison has taken a liking to photography and believes the skills she’s learning will come in handy.

“Now, when I get to travel and I make it down to that beach in Mexico, I’ll know how to capture the beauty and bring it home with me.”

Chomp Was this horse sneezing or snacking? It’s hard to tell.

America With both sisters and brothers, America is a middle child and wouldn’t have it any other way. She enjoys playing just about any sport almost as much as she loves to read.

At some point, she’d like to own a big dog, preferably a Husky.

“It’s cool to be nice and I try to prove it every day.”

Message in a Bottle Light plays along the outside of the bottle, pulling you slowly through a glowing yellow tunnel.

Angel If Angel is ordering the wings, you better believe: they are going to be hot, and he’s having more than half of them. Angel is very athletic and thinks time he spends running and playing with his dog can only help his soccer game.

“I play forward so I’m always looking for a way to put the ball in the net”

Chameleon A girl becomes a wall. In this picture, Leilani almost disappears. In real life, nothing could be further from the truth.

Angela Angela is one of those lucky people who have an easy time with math. In fact, if she could stay in that class an extra hour and avoid writing altogether, that would be just fine with her.

“I’d love to go exploring and shooting pictures in Tokyo. It looks so bright and busy and exciting… I bet they’d turn out awesome.”

Tick, Tock, Light, Dark Time stands still, stringing us along as shadows lengthen in secret.

Angeline Since she participated in Kids in Focus last year, Angeline has set her sights on becoming a doctor.

She’s still a people person and feels like any day spent with family is a good one.

“I’m pretty good at making people laugh and I think that will help me help my patients feel better.”

Spiral Flag We are all twisted up in this thing together.

Annalisa Annalisa is understanding and helps people when they need it most.

In her free time, she likes to read and play sports like basketball.

She really enjoyed being a part of Kids in Focus because she learned lots of new things. “I am a great listener and an independent girl.�

Reaching for the Future She is reaching her hand out trying to touch what is about to be her future.

Briseyda Thanks to Kids in Focus, Briseyda likes to do new things and explore new places. Listening to music and hanging out with friends is what she enjoys when she’s not off exploring.

“I am creative and love to have fun.”

Shadows One of the shadows is from my friend and in the background are a couple dogs.

This time of day is my favorite.

“Learning to work with others made me less shy. Less afraid.”

— Maria

Daniel An appreciation for the simplest things in life – like taking a walk around the neighborhood or making his friends laugh– is what keeps Daniel energized day-to-day.

“I think I’d like being a firefighter. After all, what’s not to like? You get to fight fires, help people, hang out at the station and make a good living.”

Power the Basket Charge it from way downtown!

Denise A middle child and quite happy to be third oldest, Denise focuses energy on improving at things that might not come so naturally to her. While she thinks some extra work in math and reading are important, she’ll take a study break for a trip to the wave pool any time. “School should have a lot less science and a lot more tetherball.�

Silver Lining You can always find a silver lining if you just look.

DeShawn If DeShawn is having pizza, it has to have sausage AND bacon on top… that’s his favorite. His mom is a very important person in his life as his is younger brother. Deshawn is good at math and loves playing football.

“After I’m done playing football, I think I might like being an electrician.”

Blue Sky Sunflower Blue takes on its darkest shade. Brown becomes orange and catches yellow fire.

Desiree Desiree is happiest hanging out with her friends and does so every chance she gets. She plays soccer even though she’s a little afraid of the ball at times and is usually the only girl on the field. Desiree feels her best quality is her giving heart.

“I’d love to take my camera to the Grand Canyon.”

Jumping to Conclusions Looking at how different the backgrounds are makes you wonder if they are truly worlds apart or actually best friends?

Devin Devin figures he is lucky that his little brother is actually pretty cool.

His grandfather now lives in Texas but grew up in New Orleans and they follow the Saints together from a distance.

“I’m playing wide receiver right now, but we’ll see what happens as I keep growing.”

Hang On I’m on the edge of my seat.

Eric Born in Phoenix, Eric is a nice person and a good friend. His favorite colors are red, blue and black. He feels lucky to have known Miss Karen for five years and especially enjoys when she bring Santa Clause for a visit.

“I love music, dance, food, vampires and my family- although not in that order.”

Inspire There’s something pretty inspiring about a few friends, a little imagination and a lot of teamwork.

Genavive Genavive lives in a busy neighborhood with the train, a highway and a fair all nearby.

She enjoys it whether she’s indoors playing Minecraft or outside playing volleyball.

“I really like meeting new people and having new experiences. It helps me see the everyday things I’m used to in a new way.”

Puddle Building It reminds me of walking with my dad after a rain storm, noticing the reflections all around.

“I learned not to ignore the world around me but to go out and experience it.”

— Amaya

Heather Heather loves exploring; whether it’s taking in the Phoenix cityscape atop South Mountain or performing experiments in the science classroom.

She’s a curious 7th grader who’s not afraid to speak her mind. She’d like to take photos of the sun setting in to the Ocean.

“No problem is too big – I know I can solve it if I work hard enough.”

Camera Head This was supposed to be a picture of the cool red shoe bottoms but things don’t always work out the way we expect.

Helen With artistic talent showing in her photos immediately, it was no surprise to learn Helen loves to sketch. While she doesn’t plan to be a veterinarian or zoologist, her current roster of pets does include two dogs, two fish, two turtles, two hamsters and a cat.

“Give me a sketch pad, some pizza rolls and a bag a candy and I’m good to go all day long.”

Threads Up close, tiny detailed threads.

At a distance, specs of light floating on the breeze.

Immanuel He rocks some long locks, and his lip synching game is on point, but Immanuel doesn’t stop there. He loves a good story and is all about imagining, creating, and telling them, too: the scarier, the better.

“If you aren’t sleeping with the light on that night, it wasn’t a good movie.”

The Giant The giant couldn’t decide whether to grab the person or the plane. In the end, the plane got away.

Isaac Isaac is a meat and potatoes man all the way. He likes things to be straightforward, add up and just generally make sense. And, truth be told, most of the time they do. “I like being the youngest in my family. I get to watch and learn from everybody ahead of me.�

Spine Time From a dark, deep center they spread in every direction, reflecting light and casting shadows.

Ivan Ivan’s love of video games has given rise to an interest in exotic cars, particularly any model of Lamborghini. He’s a budding mathematician, but Ivan admits lunch is his favorite subject and the playground his favorite classroom.

“Life is good, but I’ve got to start getting up for school on time.”

Learning to Fly Yuri learns to fly and a mysterious shadow figure joins in.

Jasmine Two turtles, three birds, and two dogs make up Jazmine’s family of pets. Kids in Focus helped her look at everyday things in a new light. She likes looking for interesting mixes of color when she’s exploring and taking pictures.

“Someday, I’m going to be in the FBI and live in or visit New York City.”

Up and Away The bird follows the blue sky to escape the clouds.

Jazmine As a second year KIF participant, Jazmine is drawn to photography because she is able to combine her love of the outdoors with her knack for problem-solving. With hopes of becoming a family doctor when she gets older, Jazmine loves helping people.

“Someday, I want to travel to California to photograph the beach.”

All Heart We spent a lot of time making this heart but the picture just wasn’t coming to life.

All it took was the hot pink shoe laces.

Now the heart really beats.

“I’m not afraid anymore to try new things. I’m more hopeful about my future.”

— Aram

Jose Jose spends his free time playing PS3 and taking pictures. Learning from the photographers and going on field-trips he thinks is the coolest things he’s ever done. He also plays soccer and is a defender for his team called Monaco.

“I like to help other people because it feels good and other people help me too.”

The Windmill It looked interesting because the sun was shining between the vanes. I was blinded when I took the picture.

Josh Joshua loves to draw and believes that it’s what he does best, though he’s also a big video game player. In fact, he’d like to be a game maker when he’s older. While he doesn’t have a pet, Joshua thinks a panda bear would make a great one.

“The best thing in the world is just having any kind of fun with my family.”

Reflecting Stones I like how the reflection makes everything look softer and how the rectangular pool brings it all together in a frame. It’s hard to tell if the picture is right side up or upside down.

Juan When he talks about become a vlogger, it’s immediately clear Juan could create videos that will make people laugh. For now, he focuses on doing that live and in person, each and every day.

“Sometimes you can get people to think about things in a new way by making them laugh. And that’s actually a serious thing.”

Bee Movie I heard the swarm first. Following the sound brought me to this busy flower and I just had to get in close.

Julian Julian enjoys taking pictures of nature, animals, the holidays and anything around him. He likes math and is interested in becoming a video game designer. “Helping people with work or other things is very important to me.�

The Dragon and the Cookie We found a hungry dragon at Papago Park!

Karma Karma dreams of climbing the Eiffel Tower someday and with her eyes closed she can picture what it will be like. She’s a reader but by no means a retiring book worm with gymnastics also on the schedule.

“My step dad always told me to do what I really like. If you like it, you should do it.”

Leafheart The light shining through, beats down, pulsing, steady, warm and true.

Kayden He isn’t really sure why, but Kayden seems to have a way of making people laugh when he isn’t really trying too. And sometimes he talks so fast people have a hard time understanding him.

“I’ve got a lot I want to say and whole bunch more I want to do so let’s move it along.”

Grasp Joy is never truly out of reach.

It starts with a smile.

Kelaia She enjoyed the local field trips and photo shoots, but Kelaia thinks it would be awesome to spend a day taking pictures in the White House.

Kelaia is a natural swimmer and enjoys both tetherball and volleyball. “I love a lot of different things and I think that will help make me a really good teacher.�

Reach The light seldom exceeds our grasp - we only need to reach.

“It calmed me down. I don’t feel scared anymore.”

— Jayvon

Kobe Kobe enjoys science and playing video games. When he grows up he wants to be a game designer but if he could do anything in the world, he would just play piano. “I like taking pictures of plants and water. I had no idea they were so fascinating up close.�

Yellow on Green I saw a bee fly onto this cactus and it made me take a closer look. I got so close to take the picture it looked like the needles would poke my eye out.

Kristine She has a pet lizard, but Kristine really loves cats and would love to have one as a pet. Kristine thinks it’s important to keep an open mind and an adventurous spirit, particularly when something makes her a little nervous.

“You can’t really know if you are good at something and like doing it unless you give it a real try.”

Through the Cracks Sometimes life has a way of showing up in surprising ways.

Lorena The animals most people find scary are just as fascinating to Lorena as the cuddly ones everybody loves. In fact, she wouldn’t mind working at the zoo someday. She can tell her interests are still evolving, though.

“What I enjoy most in school changes all the time. Some days I like music class, other days I’m all about PE.”

Clear Path Sometimes what looks like an obstacle is only a shadow from the sun lighting your path.

Luis Luis’ dad was in the Army and he’s just as quick to tell you that his mom is an amazing cook. He likes his games, with Dragonball, Xenoverse and the venerable Legend of Zelda in his mix.

“I’m not sure yet what I’m best at but I do think I’d like to be a video game designer when I’m done with school.”

The Power of Perspective To me this scene was the perfect combination of colors, contrast and light.

Marissa Marissa’s favorite and best subject in school is science. This young scientist had a ton of fun learning how to use a digital camera.

“It was really cool to learn how to use the camera to take better pictures than I ever thought I could. I see everything differently now.”

Creation As I was arranging the leaves, I thought a lot about my late grandmother and all the people in my life who love me.

Michelle Michelle is has two brothers and a sister and likes helping her mother cook. She is honest, trustworthy, creative and athletic. “I am a lover of dogs and enchiladas.�

Bird in a Tree Even hummingbirds need to take a break every now and then.

Nevaeha Nevaeha loves flowers - especially roses and daisies - as much for how they smell as how they look. On the soccer field, she’s a goalie and likes how that keeps everything in front of her.

“I’m the oldest of four girls so I kind of keep an eye on a lot of things.”

Spiral If you stand still, focus on the center and block everything else out for a minute, it will hypnotize you.

“It made me feel really proud, like I can accomplish a lot more.”

— Jazmine

Pahola Pahola is a creative person, through and through. She loves music, painting, taking pictures, and just about any kind of art. Pahola enjoyed learning how to find and capture the beauty of everyday things.

“I’d like to be a veterinarian one day, but for now I can help take care of my three pets.”

Shadow World I lay there pondering the sky. I ask one of my friends to jump. I can’t believe he actually does it but I take the picture just in time.

Ruby Seeing her friends smile is a daily priority for Ruby and it’s even better if a joke she told is the reason they’re smiling. She’s got a head for facts and figures too and likes to put it to the test in math class.

“I have a really big family and I love to spend time with them, especially my grandmother who is really important to me.”

Mosaic Devin fit right in, proving once again the creative power of cool hair.

SaRiyah Sa’Riyah’s family – including both brothers and sisters – is at the center of her life. A volleyball player, Sa’Riyah would love to play on a beach in Samoa someday. She really likes taking pictures and learning how to do it better from people who do it all the time.

“I like to express her feelings through writing and am learning to do the same with a camera.”

Dimming Light From down among the flowers, Christine becomes a dancing angel with heaven present just over her shoulder.

Sofia Although she loves art in general, Sofia is particularly interested in painting and papier-mâché. She’s a big fan of live music shows and had a great time at the Katy Perry concert.

“I love it when an artist knows how to use everything – the music, the sets, the costumes – to entertain the audience. “

Simple Steps Sometimes you must take two steps forward and then a step back.

Summer Summer loves taking pictures and never leaves the house without her camera. She appreciates how the camera enhances her ability to talk to anyone, draw out their personality, and learn things about them.

“I’m going to act on Broadway, just wait and see.”

WonderMutt My dog, Lucy, may not actually read Harry Potter, but sometimes I do think she’s smart enough and she sure looks it here.

Tatyana After doing a school project on India recently, Tatyana would really like to visit there. This is her second year with Kids in Focus and she likes how photography inspires her to get up and explore outdoors.

“Science is my best subject, but I’m just not sure yet if I want to be an engineer or a lawyer.”

Jumping Over Obstacles A girl walking came across a puddle in her path so she jumped over it. Life is all about overcoming obstacles.

Trinity Trinity believes it’s important to live up to her name, showing that she is a kind, smart and caring person every chance she gets. She likes to bake cakes and cookies to share with her friends and family.

“If there’s nothing else going on, we might as well put some music on and dance.”

Out of this World We were exploring downtown and decided to look inside a hotel lobby where we found this cool chandelier.

Vanessa Vanessa listens to hip hop and likes how music can change her mood. She discovered that exploring and taking pictures also makes her smile. Her best subject is reading and Vanessa is pretty good at science, too.

“Someday I’d like to go to Barcelona.

It looks really green and they have cool buildings there.”

Three Little Dreamers I see three little boys playing basketball in the rain and think about how we run after our dreams. With practice and patience, we can accomplish anything.

Xavier Enjoying his second year with Kids in Focus, Xavier thinks he’d like to be an architect. He’s still playing football, making the most of every day, and he’s always down for some miso pork ramen!

“Sometimes it’s the quiet guy who makes the best, most loyal friend.”

Straight Ahead The destination is clear but shadows of doubt can cloud the road.

Karen Shell

shell-photo.com

Karen founded Shell Photographics in 1990, quickly becoming well known for the peace of mind she delivers for clients as well as the bestin-class quality of the images she creates. Karen’s personal work has been exhibited internationally and her commercial work has won industry awards. Photographing people and places for advertising clients, Shell Photographics has become a go-to resource for an impressive array of global, national, and regional brands including Banner Health, Bank of America, Hyatt Hotels, LifeLock, Marriott, PetSmart, Plexus International, and Toll Brothers.

Combining her unique approach with a technical mastery of the craft, Karen references her incredibly rich and varied base of professional and life experience to make routine shoots a genuine delight and challenging shoots a successful adventure. Her positive energy brings a tireless workethic and uncompromising professionalism to every assignment.

Alongside her three-decade professional career, Karen has been passionately dedicated to kids and families in need. In 2017, Phoenix Home & Garden magazine profiled Karen as one of “10 Western Women We Admire” for her 26 years of service to her community. Karen is also a true adventurer and has travelled the world exploring this incredible

“I can trust people now.”

— Devin

planet, from the depths of the oceans to the tops of tall mountains.

6919 E 1ST AVE, SCOT TSDALE, 8 5251

|

|

4 80. 280. 8000 FIATLUXG ALLERY.COM