by Cecile Oreste

Betsy Karasik‘s professional career began a long way from her current life and work as an artist. A resident of the Borderstan area since 1984, currently on the Dupont side, she was born in New York and raised in Bethesda, Karasik moved back to the DC area after law school and spent over a decade doing negligence, product liability and insurance unfair claims litigation.

Although Karasik found her legal career to be “exciting,” it left little time for much else. In 1998, she decided to pursue art and enrolled in classes at Corcoran College of Art and Design. “I am often asked if I miss practicing law and the answer is no,” Karasik said.

Karasik had minimal formal training in art before attending Corcoran, but the interest was always there: “I was always considered the ‘class artist’ in school and was frequently enlisted to design the yearbook cover, classroom murals and similar projects.”

The final push for Karasik occurred during the end of her tenure as a lawyer.

“A year or so before I switched to painting full time, the landlord at my law office offered me the opportunity to work in a spare room of the building, and donated a drafting table and chair, generous gestures which got me started,” Karasik said.

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