Karlenne Hager Trimble

Welcome to my world of painting.

Creative Intention

​I constantly look for compositions that tell a story — those fleeting, everyday moments that often go unnoticed.

As an observational painter, I am drawn to the movement, rhythm, energy and personality within a scene. My paintings capture moments in time, but they are never simply about what is happening on the surface. I want you to wonder:

What's happening here? Who are these people? Why this place? What's coming next?

My background in dance and choreography deeply influences how I see and compose. Dance taught me to recognize patterns and poses, to feel the cadence within a composition, and to understand how people, space and objects interact. I bring that same sensibility and discipline to the canvas.

I use fluid brushwork to create motion and atmosphere, often prioritizing feeling over definition. Strong color adds emotional tension and helps establish the narrative pulse. Figures frequently appear in my work, but they serve the story — guiding the eye, creating lyrical transitions and inviting you into the scene rather than claiming the stage.

My paintings turn ordinary experiences into open-ended stories. I leave room for you to fill in the blanks, make connections and bring your own memories to the moment.

I want my paintings to make you stop, look a little longer, and feel something familiar.

A Little More About Me

I've drawn and painted since I was nine, beginning with art classes at the Birmingham Museum of Art. But dance soon became my dominate creative outlet. I studied and performed from elementary school through college and beyond. While building my marketing career, I remained involved in dance and eventually served as Artistic Director for a professional dance company.

Dance and choreography taught me perseverance. To see movement within a moment. To have a keen eye. Notice the novelty. Those instincts remain an important part of how I approach painting today.

Eventually, the physical demands of dance led me back to the creative practice I'd loved since childhood. I immersed myself in classes and workshops, deepening my understanding of design, value, color, brushwork and edges. Along the way, I refined my technique and developed a visual language of my own.

Painting became my old new passion.

Today, Atlanta is home. I keep active with yoga instead of dance and share my life with my loving husband, Roy, and two crazy cats.

Roy encourages me every day to follow my dreams, not to  over blend — and make my darks darker.