Originally from Chicago, Ken Karlic's earliest memories are of drawing. Over the years Ken used various media for his art, but it wasn't until he began to travel extensively with his wife, Eve, that he chose watercolors exclusively, primarily for their portability. This began a two decades long refinement of his techniques, which still continues today. Although he also paints in the studio, Ken's real love is to paint en plein-air, a French expression used to describe the act of painting outdoors, and made popular by the Impressionists. In 2010, Ken began to participate in juried plein-air painting competitions. In his second competition, he sold five paintings, won second place and was officially hooked. Accustomed to the deadlines inherent in graphic design, painting plein-air is a perfect match for Ken, as he enjoys painting with a sense of urgency and passion that is more about capturing the essence rather than the specifics of any location. Ken Karlic studied architecture, painting and graphic design at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign, and he received a BFA in graphic design in 1986. Ken is an award-winning graphic designer and founding partner of Splice Design Group located in Sparks, Maryland, which specializes in brand identity, interactive and print design for corporate and institutional clients, including the Guggenheim Foundation and Smithsonian Institution. His paintings are in private and institutional collections including Johns Hopkins Hospital, and he is a member of the Mid-Atlantic Plein-Air Painters Association (MAPAPA) and a Signature Artist Member of Baltimore Watercolor Society.