Kari Tirrell American, b. 1965

Kari Tirrell’s journey as an artist began in her childhood in Huntington Beach, California, where she nurtured a natural talent for drawing. She fondly remembers the smell of kindergarten paint, and her early school report cards praised her for attention to detail: “Kari puts in many details.” 

In her youth, she devoted hours to drawing humans and animals, often inspired by the books her mother owned notably works by illustrators such as Norman Rockwell and by experimenting with mediums like graphite, charcoal, and ink. A pen and ink set she discovered in high school became her favored tool, and she even entertained the idea of becoming an animator for Disney Corporation. However, after learning more about the rigorous realities of animation, she chose not to pursue it.

After finishing high school in 1983, she enrolled in general-studies courses at Orange Coast College, while working for an advertising agency, a setting where her drawing skills were valued and refined. Ironically, one of the agency’s clients was Disney itself, which sharpened Tirrell’s awareness of illustration and design as viable creative outlets. In 1989 she married; a few years later, the family relocated to Gig Harbor, Washington, a scenic town near Seattle, a place Tirrell would eventually call home.

During the early 2000s, Tirrell confronted significant health challenges. A diagnosis of Celiac disease in 2003 fundamentally changed her lifestyle; recognizing “food as medicine,” she studied clinical nutrition for a time. While she found the research rewarding, the pull toward art proved stronger.

Encouraged by a friend, an abstract artist she had met during her advertising agency days, Tirrell experimented with painting. A summer spent painting abstract pieces restored her creative passion, leading her to abandon the nutrition path entirely and return to art. She initially sold her works on eBay, discovering unexpectedly strong demand.

As her style evolved, she transitioned from acrylics to oils in 2008 but soon discovered her true calling in pastel. Inspired by contemporary realist pastel artists like Alicia St. Rose, Tirrell adopted a traditional grid transfer process to create realistic yet expressive pastel works.

From 2009 onward, she began entering juried exhibitions, first with the Northwest Pastel Society, then with the Pastel Society of America and other prestigious organizations. Her work quickly gained acclaim, earning her designations such as Master Pastelist (PSA), Distinguished Pastelist (Pastel Society of the West Coast), and signature or master circle membership in other respected pastel societies.

While many still life painters focus on conventional themes like fruit or bread on a table, Tirrell sought something more playful and personal. Her signature niche became imaginative compositions of vintage tin toys, nostalgic playthings, and whimsical objects arranged in seemingly random piles, evoking memories, humor, and a sense of childlike wonder. Pieces like “Tattletale,” “Duck, Duck, Goose,” and “Tin Menagerie” showcase her flair for storytelling through inanimate objects.

Her work has been exhibited in important galleries and shows across the United States. Over the years she has won numerous awards, including in top-tier competitions such as the annual pastel exhibitions of the Pastel Journal and juried shows by the Northwest Pastel Society.

Today, Kari Tirrell is recognized as a distinctive voice in contemporary realist still life painting: a self-taught artist whose nostalgic, toy-laden compositions combine technical mastery with warmth, wit, and a touch of nostalgia.