Karina Schafer is a photographer, artist, graphic designer, and poet based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

She received her Bachelor of Fine Art with a focus on Photography and an English minor from UW-Milwaukee. Family history, memory, nature, and her Scottish heritage have significantly influenced her work.

Karina serves on the Board of Directors as Secretary and Online Director for Guildess: A Contemporary Women’s Art Collective based in Milwaukee. She is also a member of Coalition of Photographic Arts (CoPA), Milwaukee Artist Resource Network (MARN), Wisconsin Scottish and St. Andrew’s Society of Milwaukee. In addition, she works with Visual Image Photography (VIP) based in Cedarburg, Wisconsin doing yearbook photography. Professionally, she concentrates on portraiture and event photography. She has exhibited her fine art work at various shows in Milwaukee and Chicago. She’s had photographs published in Highlander Magazine, Shepherd Express, OnMilwaukee.com, and Riverwest Currents.

In 2004, she formed semi-permanent press to self-published her first poetry chapbook, v.1: captured poems and some that got away. Her poetry has been published in the Shepherd Express, Poet’s Monday Grab Bag, performed live at scores of poetry events (both open mikes and as the featured reader), and scribbled on various whiskey-soaked bar coasters all around town.

Any chance to steal away in her van to go camping, she seizes – with her camera, pen (ok, laptop) and a dog-eared book along for the adventure

[[photo by Jessica Zalewski 2009]]