Karen J Casey (she/her) is best known in her community for her years as a teaching assistant at a local elementary school, an individual tutor of young artists, a devoted mother and grandmother, a quirky cat lady, and a supplier of delicious local eggs.

Karen spent her early childhood in Kentucky and has since lived in many parts of the United States before arriving at her current home in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, where she has lived for 38 years. She served as an army medic during the Vietnam Conflict, and after completing her service, worked as a veterinary technician for 12 years. After coming to North Carolina, she worked in Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools as an educational assistant for 23 years, until her retirement in July of 2021.

She is a mother of six now-adult children.

Karen has been a lifelong lover of drawing, but in particular a lover of Aboriginal art. Her mother, born and raised in western Australia, brought many Aboriginal art pieces with her to the United States. Karen grew up around them, and this style in particular inspires a great deal of her work. In media varying from paint to fabric collage, she depicts birds, frogs, lizards, and all sorts of other creatures.

After a busy day of herding chickens, guineas, and ducks in her yard and herding young creators in her art room, Karen can be found enjoying a very hot cup of tea surrounded by her cats - Luna, Sushi, Daisy Mae, Tommy, and Finnigan - and her dog, Butterscotch Brownie.