New! Native Plant and Bird Art for Sale!
Talented artist Karen Kramer* has offered to provide 30% of each sale of her beautiful artwork to help support the Tour; your purchases will also a support local artist.
Click on the images to enlarge.
*Great name, but no relation to Tour Coordinator Kathy Kramer
How this series of paintings came about
Every marriage has its problems. The biggest one my husband, Mike, and I have is about vacations; specifically, because Mike thinks the vacation begins when you get in the car, and I think it begins when you get there. So, there is always this tension when we are driving, as Mike wants to take long-cuts and get out to look at views, while I am intent on arriving at our destination so we can then start having fun.
As a result of many years of this I am a solidly A-to-B driver. I don’t stop when I am driving. I never stop. However, recently as a friend and I were passing through Hayward we both saw an eye-catching painting on a utility box (hats off to the Alameda County Art Commission for this project!). The artwork was so beautiful I quickly said to my friend, “Wow, did you see that? Shall I pull over?” She nodded, so I wheeled into the parking lot and we walked over to see the artwork. It was beautiful! So beautiful that I contacted the artist, Karen Kramer, and we met in my garden. We talked about our mutual “Kramer” family history (there is no connection we know of), and I asked if she might be willing to create a series of native plant and wildlife drawings. Karen was interested in the idea, and went home with a vase of cuttings and flowers, and a lot of pictures. The results are what you see here.
Karen is generously offering 30% of each sale to help support the Tour; whether you purchase a print or an original painting, Karen and I both thank you for your support!
Kathy Kramer
Wilson’s Warbler
9.5″ x 6.5″
Native Garden of Delights
30″ x 23″
Anna’s Hummingbird #2
9.5″ x 6.5″
Hummingbird #3
9.5″ x 6.5″
Monarch on Milkweed
9″ x 12″
Anna’s Hummingbird #1
10″ x 6.5″
Townsend’s Warbler #1
7.5″ x 7″
The Native Garden Tour art series will be on display at Karen’s studio at Studios 11, 560 2nd Street, Oakland (by appointment only). The studio is across the street from World Market near Jack London Square; there is easy, free parking, and it is accessible. See the contact info at the bottom of this page to arrange a time.
Visit East Bay Open Studios in December and during the Holiday Reception: Karen will be in her studio Friday, Dec. 4, 2026 from 5-8 (reception) and from 11 am -5 pm Dec. 5, 6, and 12, 13.
Karen lives in Rockridge (near Rockridge BART, easy parking). Orders can also be picked up there. See the contact info at the bottom of this page to arrange a time.
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Three print options: paper, wood, and canvas
In addition to the original paintings, each painting is available as a Giclee print on paper, wood, or canvas.
1. Giclee prints on paper are archival quality prints on 100% cotton rag, acid free, conservation water color paper utilizing museum quality inks treated to resist fading and discoloration in excess of 75 years and manually adjusted to exactly match the original colors.
2. Prints on wood use the same process but are printed directly on birch frames, typically 3/4 inch deep, and are ready to hang with a single nail. They are finished with a protective coating that is splash resistant.
3. Prints on canvas use the same process but are printed on acid free canvas and stretched on solid hardware stretcher bars, either 3/4 or 1.5 inch thick. The painting image is extended along the edges. They are ready to hang with a single nail.
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Prices
Originals (professionally framed)
Birds and monarch butterfly $675 ($747.56 with sales tax)
Native Garden of Delights $1,950 ($2,159.62 with sales tax)
Prints
A. Paper prints
9 x 12 $40 ($44.30 with sales tax)
Available in larger sizes, so long as they are proportionate to the original dimensions. Ask Karen Kramer for pricing.
B. Wood prints
5 x 7 $45 ($49.83 with sales tax)
8 x 10 $75 ($83.06 with sales tax)
16 x 20 $250 ($276.87 with sales tax))
C. Canvas prints
Available in any size proportionate to the original dimensions. Ask Karen for pricing.
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Payment
You can either:
- Pay with Venmo: scan the QR code on the right.
OR
2) Credit card payment can be made over the phone; you can reach Karen at (510) 421-0100.
Pick up
Artwork can be picked up in Oakland, either at Karen’s studio in Jack London Square (easy, free parking, and accessible), or in Rockridge, from Karen’s home (there is easy parking).
Email Karen at info@karenkramerart.com to set up a meeting time and place.
About the Artist
Karen Kramer grew up in Berkeley and loved nature and art from a young age. She was always drawing and her mother took her hiking and camping. Being an artist was highly impractical, though, so she spent a career as a public interest lawyer and raised a family. Fast forward 30+ years and Karen renewed her training and interest in art, focusing on watercolor media. She employs an unusual approach to watercolors that involves initially pouring paint on the paper—which imbues her work with an element of spontaneity and wildness. She strives to maintain this feeling of movement, so elemental to nature, as she develops the painting. This approach also allows Karen to create beautiful transparent effects only achievable with watercolor.
Karen currently works out of her studios in Studios 11 in Jack London Square in Oakland. Her work has been exhibited in numerous shows locally and nationally, and she has been awarded two public art commissions by the Alameda County Art Commission. Her work is in the permanent collection of Stanford Medical Center in Palo Alto and the Stanford Medicine/Sutter Health Cancer Collaborative in Oakland, and it is also shown at the Valley Art Gallery in Walnut Creek. Karen is a workshop instructor at the Richmond Art Center. More details are on her website: www.karenkramerart.com
Karen works primarily from her own photographs and creates her own compositions. In the case of the birds shown here, however, she has relied on the photographs of friends. For this series on native birds, butterflies, and plants, she has graciously been given permission to use photographs by talented photographer Susan Teefey and Kathy Kramer. The paintings of plants were inspired by Kathy Kramer’s garden in San Pablo and Stefanie Pruegel’s garden in San Leandro.
Contact Karen Kramer
Info@KarenKramerArt.com
(510) 421-0100 (cell)