A CREATIVE JOURNEY
This month, Karen has been asked to be part of a panel of artists and arts licensing experts at the Licensing Show in NYC. Her talk will be based on the following piece, which tells the story of her career as a metal sculptor and licensed artist.

Budding Artist
"Journeys, like artists, are born and not made. A thousand differing circumstances contribute to them, few of them willed or determined by will - whatever we may think." Or so it was said by novelist and playwright, Lawrence Durrell. Karen Rossi couldn't agree more. For as long as she can remember, she's been filled with a creative spirit and the desire to live out the life of an artist and sculptor. And her journey thus far has been born from this desire to create, to use her hands, and to explore creativity every day.

Her childhood in agricultural South Windsor, CT was tranquil and sheltered. As a young girl, Karen loved to paint and draw, and did so prolifically. She adored listening to her mom tell stories of her own childhood, of studio visits to her artist neighbor, Alexander Calder. Hearing tales of the famous sculptor just helped to fuel Karen's strong desire to create.

Metal Magician
Growing up, Karen was constantly surrounded by the daily activity of her parents' aerospace welding business. She saw firsthand the love that her father had for metal, and it was there that the seed was planted in her creative mind. After pursuing the arts in college, she decided to explore this medium further. She secretly took welding lessons from retired State of Connecticut Parks Department worker, Joe Coreale, where she created an impressive welded trout from mild steel. She had to convince her father that she'd actually crafted the art piece herself. Her dad was so impressed that he immediately set aside a space for her in his welding shop. Once there, Karen found her father's love of metalworking infectious, and quickly started experimenting with steel, titanium, copper and brass.

It wasn't long before galleries and art collectors began to take notice of her whimsical metal sculptures. She was invited to show her works at an emerging New England folk art gallery. Her sculpture of Gabriel the Herald Angel became the centerpiece of this display and was received with remarkable success. Karen began to add broken crystals, charms and pieces of jewelry to her artwork. Inquiries for her charmed pieces skyrocketed, fueling her imagination and resulting in the development of more than 500 original characters.

Overnight Success
Before long, Karen took to the trade show circuit where she sold her original metal creations. People were drawn to the fanciful characters that celebrated friends and family, professions, hobbies, and a host of other life-inspired themes. At one of the many trade shows, a gift company called Silvestri approached Karen and expressed an interest in licensing her characters. The resulting partnership allowed for Karen's characters to be mass-manufactured overseas and distributed to boutiques and gift shops all over the country.

Lessons to be Learned
Her journey had led her to Silvestri, and it was there that she discovered a whole new side to the art world. Licensing her imagery and characters was certainly a learning experience. Terms like "building a brand," "cause-related marketing," and "core product" were added to her everyday vocabulary. She became a household name, was requested for signing events, and became Silvestri's top selling artist. In fact, within two years of the initial January 2000 release of 12 three-dimensional metal characters, retail sales of Karen Rossi's Fanciful Flights™ by Silvestri® topped $30 million annually.

All good things, however, have a way of coming to an end. And so it was with Silvestri. When the company went through financial difficulties in 2004, it became clear that Karen would not be able to renew her contract with them.

Rekindling the Magic
And so, Karen was left to pick up the pieces and find new licensing partners. Coming out from under the wings of Silvestri was a scary move, but it was one that allowed for more freedom as well. Without the responsibilities and time commitments that had become necessary to keep up with the Fanciful Flights demand, Karen was able to pursue companies that she just hadn't had time to even look at before. During the following year, several new licenses took flight. Puzzles, embroidered towels and aprons, and boxed note cards were among the products that were released by new companies. She was also able to expand collections that Silvestri had only touched upon. Individual licenses for garden accessories with Exhart and menorahs with Aviv Judaica made it possible to create more expansive, high-quality collections with companies that specialized in these areas.

Full Circle
Now, two years after leaving Silvestri, Karen is finding herself in a position where she is working with more companies than ever. Two companies have licensed one her newest art collections, "All American Grill." The fun, BBQ-themed designs can now be found on Evergreen/Cypress's recently released melamine picnicware and Peking Handicraft's embroidered towels and aprons. In addition, Karen has expanded into the craft market with her bistro fabric line from Benartex and coordinating buttons from JHB. Gift book kits and a new Angels Everyday calendar for 2007 are set to release later this year.

Perhaps even better than all of the new licenses has been Karen's return to her fine arts roots. The past few months have brought more commissions than she ever dreamed possible. She's had the opportunity to create a wide variety of pieces, from the natural metal stabile at the Shops at Evergreen Walk to the colorful mobile that hangs in the library of the Pine Grove Elementary School. It's amazing to see how the journey is coming full circle, to see how it has been born of the various experiences, trials, and joys of a creative adventure, and to see how it continues to grow and change with each coming day.