Creating is in my DNA
My path to becoming an artist is rather unconventional. I had always painted my entire life, but my formal education was in Political Science (minored in Art History) followed by an MBA at UC Irvine. Raised by immigrant parents and an immigrant myself (I was born in Vietnam and arrived in America at five years old), the expectation was to pursue the traditional path to success (get high grades, attend a good school, get a great job/salary). After checking off the boxes, climbing the corporate ladder and achieving the “American Dream,” I was ready to pursue my true passion— become an Artrepreneur. In 2016, I opened Inspired Art Wine, an art studio, wine bar and gallery in Costa Mesa, CA.
Why not start my art career sooner? I love my corporate career and am grateful for the opportunities it provided me to travel the world for work. A lot of my paintings are inspired by these travels. Experiencing different cultures increased my appreciation for art and for the landscapes that unite us. Many of my paintings are coastal landscapes drawn from where I was raised (Orange County), but also my motherland, Vietnam. In 2021, I launched my art-inspired wine collection, and the wine labels are varnished prints of paintings named after Vietnam. My other passion is wine! Learn more here.
My artworks are centered on the theme of finding peace and beauty, regardless of life’s challenges. There is always grace and peace to be found, and hope shines brightest when life is most tumultuous. When the world shut down during Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, I took the opportunity to paint every day; producing 100+ paintings in two years (most of these paintings are over 4 feet).
My creative process is methodical, but spontaneous. Before painting, I envision where the painting would be hung, map out the theme of the artwork and select the color scheme. Once the creative process flows, I’ll use untraditional tools (i.e. toothbrush, strings, straws, scraper) to add uniqueness to each painting. I pour my heart out so each painting will never have a duplicate.
Creating has always been in my DNA and it’s truly a privilege to live a passionate life and share the things my hands and heart create with collectors, buyers, and admirers— thank you for reading! You can find my work at my Costa Mesa studio, NY World Trade Center, City Hall, John Wayne Airport, public/private corporations, small businesses and homes, domestically and internationally.
University of California, Irvine
Bachelor's of Arts,
Political Science & Art History
University of California, Irvine
Master of Business Administration,
Global Business & Marketing
Languages
English, Vietnamese (Fluent)
Travel
60+ countries
Artist, Educator, Entrepreneur
Karen Nguyen is a dynamic executive, entrepreneur and educator with a successful track record in corporate, start-up and non-profit environments. Using her 20+ years of experience as a marketing leader and business owner, Karen is passionate about implementing practical strategies that drive incremental tangible (revenue) and intangible (branding) growth through her business ventures and corporations as a corporate consultant.
As a serial entrepreneur in the arts/entertainment and wine industry, Karen grew her first business, Inspired Art Wine, to 35,000+ customers worldwide and 250+ corporate clients since 2016. Located in Costa Mesa, Inspired Art Wine is the ultimate one-stop destination for all things art and wine. Since opening, Inspired has become the ultimate one-stop venue for all things art and wine, hosting thousands of painting workshops across various media, private events, wine classes, business seminars and community gatherings. Known as a “hidden” gem in Orange County, it is the highest-rated art studio, wine bar and art gallery in California designed to edu-tain (educate and entertain) the community across all experience levels.
A passionate educator, Karen has taught over 25,000 students, fostering creativity in classrooms, studios, and corporate settings alike. Her mission is simple: educate, entertain and inspire.
In 2018, Karen founded Inspired Somm, where she brings an entertaining, informative and modern approach to wine education aimed at Millennials and Generation Z markets. Building on that success, Karen launched Inspired Vineyards in 2021, producing boutique wines featuring varnished prints of her original artwork—each bottle inspired by her motherland, Vietnam. In 2022, her wine labels won the Gold Medal in the Thematic Category in the OC Commercial Wine Competition.
Her paintings have been exhibited in public institutions like the World Trade Center in New York City, City Hall, John Wayne Airport, and the Segerstrom Center for the Arts. She’s also collaborated with her alma mater, UC Irvine and City of Costa Mesa to bring art and wine education to enthusiasts of all experience levels.
As corporate consultant, Karen leverages her expertise in brand identity and strategic communications to help deliver financial growth to organizations across hi-tech, retail/CPG, manufacturing, education and hospitality sectors. Prior to entrepreneurship, she was head of Worldwide Partner Marketing for Western Digital. In this dual role, she was instrumental in launching channel marketing programs across 90 countries and managed teams in the Americas, Europe and Asia. Prior to Western Digital, Karen was part of the Global Infrastructure Services Division at HCL Technologies and Global Strategic Alliances team at Experian Marketing Services focused on fintech partnerships, respectively. She received her Bachelor and MBA from University of California, Irvine, bilingual (fluent in Vietnamese) and traveled/worked in 60+ countries.
Her innovative approach in marketing has earned her recognition as "Innovator of the Year" by the Orange County Business Journal, “Emerging Small Business" award by the Connected Women of Influence and LA Time's "OC Inspirational Women."
To learn more about Karen, visit her personal website HERE.
Press & Media
VoyageLA Magazine
VoyageLA Magazine
VoyageLA Magazine
February 13, 2018
Meet Karen Nguyen of Inspired Art Wine
UC Irvine
VoyageLA Magazine
VoyageLA Magazine
February 27, 2018
Alumna Karen Nguyen left her established corporate career for the exciting world of wine, art, and entrepreneurship
iHeart Costa Mesa
iHeart Costa Mesa
iHeart Costa Mesa
August 10, 2018
Coloring Outside the Wines
Shout LA
iHeart Costa Mesa
iHeart Costa Mesa
September 21, 2020
Meet Karen: Entrepreneur, Educator & Artist
When I launched Inspired Vineyards in 2021, the goal was to capture my passion for art and wine in a bottle. More importantly, producing wines that are approachable on the palate at a reasonable cost. The label for the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon trio pays homage to my motherland. If you have visited Vietnam, you may recognize the names of these labels: Sapa, Da Nang and Phu Quoc. If you haven’t been to this beautiful country, the wine labels are meant to be a collection of beautiful destinations in Vietnam. The labels are varnished prints of my larger paintings (4 feet) so when you’re done sipping the wine, you can keep the bottle as art keepsake. Most put fairy lights on the bottle, and it becomes a table centerpiece.
In the 2022, after weeks of evaluation by a panel of professional winemakers and winery principals for the 46th OC Fair Commercial Wine Competition, the three wine labels for my 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Trio was awarded Gold Medal for the Thematic Category. Over 2,500 wines were entered cataloged by varietal, price and sugar levels so this is a true honor!