“Art is the highest form of hope.”

And hope is something we all long to see. Karis Fine Arts in a small business owned and operated by Karissa Bettendorf. All her products are created by her, from original fine art paintings to limited edition prints and a variety of art products, with the passion to strengthen hope and create a vision of a world where Love Wins.

Karissa specializes in commissions and book illustrating. She has a growing list of published illustration jobs, including “Remy the Lonely Dragon”, the Twinkle Universe series, and her own book “Everybody’s Baby”. Karissa is gifted in interpreting what her clients desire to see, and creating the art that visualizes their dreams and passions.

Most of her work is done in the Karis Fine Arts studio, and Karissa also belongs to the Clements-Noyes Art Gallery in Lincoln NE and participates in various local art shows and pop-ups.

Do you have a book you need illustrated? A picture in your head you want to see on paper? Or are you shopping for original paintings, limited edition prints, or lovingly illustrated children’s books? Karis Fine Arts is honored to serve you!

Karissa Bettendorf remembers loving to draw in her earliest memories. She grew up with printer paper and No. 2 pencils, sketching horses and kittens and, soon, anthropomorphic little animals. Her first foray as a professional artist came when she attempted to sell hand-drawn greeting cards door to door when she was about 7. Early successes were modest but kept her going!

In high school she took a watercolor course and has been in love with that medium every since! She also enjoys working with ink and charcoal, and the occasional latex project on wood or for murals.

Art changes and evolves with the artist; Karissa started with a deep connection to joy and hope, and strove to create art that envisioned a better, kinder, and more beautiful world. As her experiences and spirit continue to grow, she has added an intense focus on the marginalized and suffering places in our world and in our own hearts, believing that facing and embracing the tension will lead us to that world of joy, where love finally wins.