Southport Magazine

As an artist, I hear people say all the time that they are not creative. But this just isn’t true. Every one of us has some sort of creative talent. Creative people fix cars and others solve world problems. But some people are true artists and see beauty and art in everyday little things and are not afraid to take a chance. I just love to sit and listen to those people talk about their work because they have such a passion and excitement inside them that it makes me excited, too. People like Karen George Mortimore, St. James resident, photographer, and artist. “You name the medium, I’m going to try it out,” said Mortimore. “Thanks to my Dad, he introduced all types of art and crafts to his children, because he wanted us to learn to make creative things ourselves. I have dabbled in oil painting, watercolor, leather, sculpture, pencil, pottery, photo restorations and photo transfers. Loving the challenge!”

Living almost her entire life in the West Islip and Bay Shore areas of Long Island, NY, Mortimore grew to love the south-facing beaches and watching the sunset over the ocean. “When my husband Rick, and I decided to move south, I used Google Earth and found Oak Island, noticing it was a south facing beach just like Fire Island, the barrier beach off Long Island. In late 2014 we found the perfect house and settled in St. James. Soon after, we adopted an amazing four-month-old Golden Retriever, Ringo,” she said. “Southport and Oak Island remind me of home in the late 60’s and 70’s, of the quaint little fishing towns along the bay and ocean.”

Mortimore has always been a creative soul who had the drive to try new things and learn new skills. “In the late 70s I was lucky to land a job at a small advertising agency in Bay Shore. The art director, Hank (a former Mad Man), taught me everything about commercial art, from literally sweeping the floor to designing logos, shooting for a weekly paper, layout and typography before there was visuals on computers,” she said. “I can’t thank him enough for his time, guidance and knowledge! Now with computers and programs like Photoshop, typesetting especially, layout and design are much easier to produce. As for schooling, the library was my friend, where I learned about art, artists and photography. Frequently visiting museums and galleries was another way of studying art. Then in 2005, I started a few classes at a local community college, especially enjoying Art History and History of Photography.”  

There is a real thrill in receiving an award for artwork especially since it is so subjective. Everyone could love your work but it boils down to what the judge is looking for. And it’s a real positive boost to just get accepted into a juried show because the judge picks the work that goes into the show. Not everyone who enters gets in. “In 1977, I borrowed my brother’s 35mm camera (had no idea how it really worked), and went to the beach to shoot a sunset in late October. Remember, Fire Island is like Oak Island, with the sun setting on the water.  As luck would have it, the after glow and the tide were perfect!  That year, a juried show in town accepted the photo and I won 1st place for ‘Eventide’.  Now I was hooked entering juried shows-hundreds of them, and I kept getting accepted,” she said. “In April, I won an award from the Wilmington Arts Spring Art Show and Sale for a black and white photograph of the ‘Oak Island Lighthouse.’ The juror, a local painter and printer, was Ben Billingsley. When entering these juried shows, you should have no expectations because when and if you win, it is a total surprise!”

Mortimore sees beauty in the world around her. “Nature is a huge influence on my work.  It has so much to offer: the light, the subject and the composition. You can do landscapes, animals, bugs, birds and flowers while incorporating the use of your lenses,” said Mortimore. “Most times, the images I take are spur of the moment. In other words, you get only one shot, so it better be good! The French photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson photographed the same way. He once said, ‘For me, the camera is a sketch book, an instrument of intuition and spontaneity.’ He was a master of street and candid photography and lived a long life of creating with a camera or a canvas and is still one of my important muses.” 

“Since childhood I dreamed of being an artist/photographer as well as an astronaut, but space travel at that time was not available to women, so here I am still with my feet on the ground,” she said. With the pandemic of last year, everything slowed down for artists. However, Mortimore has recently sold her work in the Southport Cheese Shop and Crystal Web on Oak Island. She also recently re-joined the Artisans on Howe where her work is for sale and is a member of the Wilmington Art Association. To reach her, email karenblanche@me.com, or call  (631) 357-1722.