The Ohio Artist Registry (OAR) is an exciting opportunity for artists to share their work, connect with the creative community, and establish an online presence—all on a free, virtual platform! The OAR encourages artists working in all art forms, throughout Ohio and beyond, to create a profile, which allows them to better promote themselves and their work. Being listed in the OAR provides artists with new opportunities to share their work with clients, galleries, patrons, and audiences. A listing in the OAR does not confer an endorsement, approval, or verification by the Ohio Arts Council.
For more information, contact Kathy Signorino, artist programs director, at kathy.signorino@oac.ohio.gov or 614-728-6140.
2025 Ohio Artist Registry Juried Exhibition
Karin Dahl
Professor Emeritus the Ohio State UniversityGranville Ohio 43023 United StatesHome Ohio United States Home Phone: 740-258-2479 Website: Dahl Website
Bio
As an abstract artist my oil paintings are explorations of color. My recent solo exhibitions at the McConnell Arts Center in Worthington and the Cultural Arts Center in Columbus have connected original music as interpretations of my paintings.
My background is in academia. I am an Emeritus Professor at The Ohio State University . I worked internationally in Uzbekistan and Thailand on critical thinking training through the Open Society Institute of New York. My Ph. D. is from Indiana University in Language Studies. The research focus of my work at OSU addressed children’s emergent literacy, specifically how children made sense of their literacy instruction in the early grades.
My art background includes more than a decade of private art instruction as well as coursework at Denison University . In 2024, I was the recipient of the Jeny Reynolds Memorial Art Award for Creativity, the top award in the national art competition for the National League of American Pen Women. My art can be found in regional competitions and private collections.
Artist Statement
I am engaged in a kind of visual invention. My abstract oil paintings use color, texture, and mark making to suggest meaning. The qualities of color often shape my initial thinking about a painting. I am interested in luminosity and color combinations that sing. I work by developing layers of color, with each layer responding to the current shapes, marks, and contrasts of the developing work. I like to scrape through a layer of paint to reveal a contrasting color or texture in the layer below. These sgraffito lines are a signature element in my art.
In working responsively with painting, my process is to explore the developing work looking for exciting contrasts and combinations of color that are promising. I respond to those possibilities and adjust the composition as a whole. This process of rethinking, experimenting, and exploring often takes paintings in a new direction. In a sense, my process is a dance between intended meaning and emerging possibility.
My cross/genre work recently has involved fusing abstract art with music. The solo exhibits “Art and Jazz” and “How Does Color Sound?” have involved original music composed to interpret color and meaning.