Karl Soderlund seemed to have an inherent sense of composition and color from childhood. He began painting at an early age. He was inspired by the everyday images in his surrounding and these made growing up in Connecticut and New York memorable to him. He later decided to attend Denison University putting aside his paintbrush. At the university he majored in Economics believing that had selected a safe career path. After he graduated, Soderlund got a corporate job in San Francisco. He continued to paint but not on commercial scale. In fact painting was merely a hobby and a means which he used to fill his blank apartment with images. However, when he was transferred to New York City by his company, he left the corporate world to focus solely on his true interest – art. He found that New York City was a community rich in art. Soderlund creates oil paintings with an intention to provide a soothing place for the mind to rest and focus, an element that’s visual and breaks through the two-dimensional plane of the canvas.
The artist finds meticulous beauty in all things including that which is beaten and weathered. From the crackled wood of his "Red Boat" and peeling paint to the faded siding of "The Boathouse." Soderlund focuses on conveying the history of his subjects and the texture of nature. He furthered his education at the Silvermine Guild in Connecticut, and the Art Students League in New York City, Yale University. Soderlund studied with Daniel E. Greene, a realist painter. He became a founding member of The Fairfield Gallery Association in Connecticut.
