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Karnes was born in 1925 to poor Russian and Polish immigrant garment workers.

She studied at the High School of Music and Art in New York, and then Brooklyn College where she earned a design degree in 1946.

After graduating she worked as a design craftsman at a factory where she discovered her interest in clay. She studied abroad in Italy for a year and then earned a fellowship to study ceramics at Alfred University in New York.

In the 1960s, she became well-known for creating a flameproof casserole that could be used directly on the stove.

Karnes moved to rural Vermont in 1979, built a kiln, and established a studio practice. She remained there for the remainder of her career.

In 1976 she was named to the American Craft Council's College of Fellows and in 1998 was recognized with their highest honor, the Gold Medal for Consummate Craftsmanship.

She was the recipient of countless awards and honors, including a Medal of Excellence (1990) from the Society of Arts & Crafts in Boston, a National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts Honorary Membership (1980), and a Craftsman’s Award from the National Endowment for the Arts (1976).