Somerville artist Karen Aqua, who worked out of the Miller Street Artist Studios and taught at Somerville Community Access Television, passed away earlier this week after living with cancer.

Aqua was an award-winning animator who received grants from the American Film Institute and the Massachusetts Council on the Arts and Humanities, among other places. She taught at Boston College and Emerson College and screened her work internationally at institutions such as the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, the Institute of Contemporary Art, and the California Institute of the Arts. Her animated work has also appeared on Sesame Street.

Jeanée Redmond, who shared Somerville studio space with Aqua since 1985, said of the animator that she was "my very best friend, my studio partner, my partner in art. I miss her greatly."

She was a "driven" artist and her loss makes a "hole" in the animator community, said Redmond.

Among other things, Aqua taught animation at Somerville Community Access Television and judged the annual "Somerville … In Shorts" short-film competition.

"It's very sad for us," said executive director of the television station, Wendy Blom, who described Aqua as "a great teacher and a great artist."

Aqua was "calm," "caring," and "creative," she said, and her classes have left a legacy at the station, which includes an animation club called "Animaniacs" that grew out of her teaching.

Aqua passed away in Boston on Monday after living with ovarian cancer for about 10 years. Three days earlier, on Friday, she received a Massachusetts Cultural Council fellowship in film and video.

Aqua is survived by her husband, Ken Field, her mother, two sisters, a brother and seven nieces and nephews. Contributions in her memory should be made to the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund.

Field, a musician and composer, often collaborated with Aqua on her films. He said his wife lived to the fullest and was able to do the things that were important to her, making films and traveling among those things.

He said there has been a lot of support for him, and he wanted to "thank everyone in the community ... for the extraordinary outpouring of love and caring." He added that "the extent to which she was admired ... is just awesome."

A number of events are being planned in Aqua's memory. The Brickbottom Artists Association Gallery is planning an exhibit called "Animal, Vegetable, Mineral," which is based on work she did with her film "Taxonomy," said Field. The exhibit will take place from June 30 to July 10. Also on July 10, at 2 p.m., there will be a memorial event for Aqua at the Center for Arts at the Armory.

Note: This article originally posted to Somerville Patch on Friday, June 3, 2011. It was updated on June 6 to include comments and information from Aqua's husband, Ken Field.