Scotts Valley creative soul and activist Karen Kaplan is making her latest splash with dual contributions in a new book titled “Expressions of the Valley.”
Her colored pencil drawing “Exploring Glenwood”—that she drew with Caran D’Ache aquarelle watercolor pencils on parchment paper—was chosen as the winning artwork for the cover, while her poem “Exploring” was published inside.
In May, Kaplan was honored during an awards ceremony for the local poetry and art contest at the Scotts Valley Community Center. She also gave a speech at the Scotts Valley Arts Commission meeting and her art was displayed at the Scotts Valley Civic Center.
During her speech, and in the book, she explains that a group called The Friends of Glenwood was established in 1993, to oppose a development that would have replaced the natural landscape with 276 homes and a golf course.
As a longtime resident of Scotts Valley, Kaplan attended meetings and signed petitions to save Glenwood Open Space Preserve from development.
In 2019, Glenwood Open Space Preserve opened to the public with 170 acres and more than seven miles of trails, owned by the City of Scotts Valley and managed by the Land Trust of Santa Cruz County. Habitats include riparian woodland, grassland prairie, freshwater marsh, evergreen forest, chaparral, oak savannah, redwood forest, a creek and a pond.
Kaplan enjoyed seeing colorful iridescent dragonflies. She warned people to bring water, and wrote letters to government officials requesting a restroom in the parking lot or at the trailhead, but currently there are no facilities.
“Expressions of the Valley,” produced by Scotts Valley Recreation and the City’s Arts Commission, features a collection of local poetry and art submitted for the 2025 contest of the same name (formerly known as the annual “Verse of the Valley” poetry contest). This year’s competition expanded to include visual art—under the theme “Explore.”
The book may be viewed online at scottsvalley.gov/705/Expressions-of-the-Valley.
Creative Triumphs and Community Impact
A few months ago, Kaplan also published two of her black-and-white ink drawings and a poem in the “Porter Gulch Review 2024” book that was published by Cabrillo College. It can be viewed online at tinyurl.com/PorterGulchReview2024.
Shortly before that, two of Kaplan’s black-and-white ink drawings—and a poem—were published in Daniel Yaryan’s poetry and art anthology “Sparring Artists” in Los Angeles.
Kaplan met Yaryan when he lived in Scotts Valley, where she was invited several times to display her art during poetry readings.
After Yaryan moved to LA, Kaplan invited several local artists and poets to submit their art and poetry for his book, including the former director of the Santa Cruz Art League, T. Mike Walker, and Ron Lampi, a poet who resides in Felton. Kaplan has also been displaying her art at the Satellite in Felton (during Lampi’s poetry, art, photography and music events).
Last summer, Kaplan won a first-place blue ribbon—and a large impressive yellow ribbon—for the “Best of Theme” at the Santa Cruz County Fair (for her digital art).
At age 70, she has been teaching herself to create digital art on her laptop computer, with occasional computer tech support at the Scotts Valley and Felton public libraries.
At the Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History, Kaplan exhibited her oil painting in the show “Everybody’s Ocean.” Her pencil portrait—that she did while traveling in Crete—found its way into the show titled “See, Be Seen: Community Portraits.”
As a way of connecting with the Santa Cruz community, Kaplan volunteered for 15 years as a Sierra Club Events Leader. Every year since she was 19 years old, she led a group to the Garden of Eden for a vegetarian potluck and to swim in the San Lorenzo River. She organized many boating picnics at Loch Lomond, as well as beach campfires and sing-alongs at Seabright Beach.
Kaplan organized art and fundraising events while serving on the Board of Hillel, and she even became the “Minister of Sustenance” (as a board member) with the Fungus Federation of Santa Cruz.
As an environmentalist, she campaigned against polystyrene and single-use plastic water bottles and advocated for solar panels on top of the parking lot at the Santa Cruz City Council building and at UC Santa Cruz. She also requested (and got) a restroom at Pleasure Point.
In addition, she has advocated for the Scotts Valley Library and for new Highway 17 lighting after the 1989 earthquake.
