Karen Howell: Home is where the art is

by Brita Adkinson
NUGENTS CORNER – Stained glass windows, wrought iron table legs, decorative wooden boxes and kitchen cabinets are among the many creations made by Karen Howell of Nugents Corner.
“I have worked with wood and iron for at least 30 years,” said Howell, who uses traditional blacksmithing tools for working with wrought iron.
Her love for creating things began as a young girl. “My father was a scientist – a metallurgist,” she explained. He worked on projects extracting metals from ore, but was also interested in making things. Howell took interest in her father’s creations, and continued learning from him later on.
“After I left home, Dad sent me books on blacksmithing,” Howell said. Although her Dad did not work with blacksmithing himself, he inspired his daughter to try her hand at it. Howell took a few brief classes in the art, but essentially, she taught herself. “I learned by practicing and practicing,” she said, noting that in addition to making table bases she enjoys making pot racks, hinges, door handles and other items for the home. In a shed in the back yard, Howell works with her set of traditional blacksmithing tools.
Similarly, Howell taught herself how to make stainglass windows. “It is not difficult to learn,” she mused. She likes designing and making not only the stained glass part, but also the wooden frame and the entire window, door or cabinet that encases the glass.
Often found by word of mouth,  Howell’s individually designed stained glass windows are found in local homes. However, one large, round stained

glass window marks the entrance to the North Fork Brewery in Deming.
“I’ve been told that a number of people actually got married in front of that window,” Howell said.
Currently, Howell focuses on making oval boxes as well as table legs for marble table tops fashioned by her partner, stone artist Gary McWilliams. Each summer, they travel to the southeast coast of Alaska and gather marble rocks which they bring back to Whatcom County. McWilliams polishes the rock pieces into table tops, and Howell creates wrought iron stands, individually shaped for each piece of marble. The result is decorative tables, each one completely unique.
“I love making things,” Howell commented, “and I enjoy baking and weaving, too.” Currently, Howell is in process of building a small wooden house on wheels, a structure which will serve as her mobile home, and to take into the wilderness for weekend retreats.
Howell revealed that she has a degree in meteorology. “I worked as a meteorologist for a brief period of around six months,” she said. But she realized her heart was in artistic work and left the job. “Since then, all I’ve ever done to support myself is artwork.” Howell believes she has produced around 15,000 wooden boxes.
To see Howell’s artworks in Whatcom County, visit or Mountainside Gardens at 6900 Mount Baker Highway in Maple Falls, or Artwood Gallery at 1000 Harris Avenue in Fairhaven.