Karen Laudon was born and raised in Wisconsin. Her childhood was divided between Milwaukee, a nearby lake cabin, and her grandparents' dairy farm, all of which afforded formative experiences for her work. After three years of study at the University of Wisconsin - Madison, primarily in studio art and history, she transferred to the San Francisco Art Institute, where she completed a BFA and MFA, in painting and drawing. Having lived, worked, and exhibited in the San Francisco Bay Area for sixteen years, she returned to Madison, where she raised her two daughters, while maintaining a steady studio practice. Laudon has exhibited regionally at Dean Jensen Gallery in Milwaukee, Madison College, and Silver Lake College, as well as nationally.
Laudon's work is rooted in nature, the figure, memory, and poetry, for inspiration and structure. Over many years, her process has come to include working concurrently in large and small scale oils, mixed media on paper, as well as small scale sculpture. The paintings, drawings, and sculptures relate to, inform, and converse with, each other.