Original art from Tripoli, Lebanon

Where light meets canvas

Oil paintings, acrylics, and handmade crochet rooted in the Mediterranean coast and the mountains of northern Lebanon. Each piece is an original, painted and shipped from Karen's studio in Tripoli.

Oil painting of a Lebanese old town street
Vibrant oil painting of a refrigerator still life

"I paint the world the way it actually feels — too vivid, too warm, too alive to fit inside careful little lines."

Still life painting with coffee cups and draped fabric
Karen in the Lebanese mountains
Somewhere in the northern mountains, probably thinking about cadmium yellow.

Meet Karen

Somewhere in Tripoli, wedged between the sea and the mountains and quite possibly underneath a cat or two, there is a woman whose hands are permanently stained with paint and whose heart beats in bold, saturated color.

Karen works in oil and acrylic with the quiet confidence of someone who studies at a Fine Arts university in Lebanon. She speaks four languages, which is useful when you want to describe the exact shade of a Mediterranean sunset and one language simply will not do. She crochets with the patience of someone who has made peace with the passage of time, and she draws inspiration from everything she encounters: the crumbling pastel façades of old Tripoli, the impossible blue of the northern coast, the way afternoon light falls through her studio window while Karbouch knocks something off a shelf.

Watercolors? Karen does not do watercolors. She has never done watercolors. Please do not ask about watercolors.

Every painting ships directly from her studio. Every supply recommendation on this site is something she has used, tested, and refused to give up. She is assisted full-time by two cats named Karbouch and Mia, neither of whom has ever been helpful.

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Every painting starts with the right tools

Over the years, Karen has tested, discarded, hoarded, and fallen in love with more art supplies than she'd care to admit. The products recommended below are the survivors: the brushes, paints, and materials she actually reaches for when it's time to work. Nothing here is filler, and nothing is recommended for the sake of a commission. Life is too short for bad brushes.

The Supply Shelf

Curated art supply recommendations from Karen's studio. Every product here has been used on actual paintings you can see in the gallery above.

Coming soon...

Your Vision, My Art.

Interested in a custom painting? Karen takes on a limited number of commissions each year. Get in touch to discuss your vision, size, and timeline.

Inquire about a commission: email karenspalettee@gmail.com

Studio dispatches from Tripoli

New paintings, supply reviews, works in progress, and the occasional unsolicited cat photo. Reach Karen at karenspalettee@gmail.com