Karen Maness is the principal instructor of scenic art and figurative painting for the Department of Theatre and Dance at the University of Texas at Austin, and Scenic Art Supervisor at Texas Performing Arts. Maness studied studio art and set design at Whittier College in Los Angeles, California and continued her studies at Cobalt Studios in White Lake, New York, and The Florence Academy of Art in Italy. Her career as a scenic artist and practicing studio artist spans more than twenty-five years, with works held in private collections worldwide.