Karen graduated from Syracuse University in 1977 with a B.S. in Social Work. While there, she learned black and white photographic skills at the Community Darkroom located in the basement of the Newhouse Communications School. Her love of photography continued when she moved to NYC. After her day job as a paralegal, she interned at Photographics Unlimited, a b&w darkroom and studio facility. Becoming enthralled in alternate b&w photographic processes, her photographic work in the 80’s and 90’s, “Karen Maloof Painted Photography”, incorporated b&w printing techniques, transparent oils and color pencils to create limited editions of painted photographs. Due to the tranquil nature of the imagery, her work was published internationally by poster and greetingcard companies such as Avanti, Chromaline, Catch Publishing, Portal, and others. It was included in many corporate, hospital and private collections. In the late 1990's, Karen and her husband left New York City to raise a family in New Jersey. She has since been painting without using a photograph as her canvas . Her serene imagery is still evident as she continues to explore the landscape around her.