A self-taught artist, Kari Tirrell spent her formative years drawing animals and people.  Both subjects continue to factor largely in her work today.  She paints predominantly with soft pastels and has a great love for realism.  "People often comment that my paintings look like photos, but I'm not aiming for photorealism.  I try to make whatever I'm painting look like a painting, but still appear to be real." 

Kari Tirrell relocated from California to the Pacific Northwest in 1992, settling in picturesque Gig Harbor, WA.  She is a member of the Northwest Pastel Society, Pastel Society of the West Coast, Peninsula Art League, and is a juried member of EBSQ Self Representing Artists.  Tirrell has won numerous awards, and her work has been purchased by private collectors around the globe.