Karen Leffel-Massengill

Born in Lansing, Michigan, Karen Leffel-Massengill knew at a very early age that art was her happy place. Crayons and pencils were her constant companions as her family moved all over the world. Karen majored in fine art at Florida State University, graduating in 1972. She married Ralph Dawkins Leffel immediately after and started a family. In 1981, she received a nursing degree and began working as an intensive care nurse, while raising three sons. Some ten years later, when she married Lester Massengill, Karen returned to painting. Tragically, Lester died in 1995. Leffel-Massengill took her first watercolor workshop in January 1996. Painting became her solace. She progressed rapidly, turning professional in 1997. She was on the cover of Watercolor Magic in 1998 and was selected for exhibition in an international competition called Birds in Art. In 2003, Karen quit nursing and has never looked back. She then started painting in oils and has since received awards in this medium as well as watercolor. Karen has been the poster artist for 5 national art shows. See more of Karen’s work online at: karenleffelmassengill.com.