Light in the Study Painting

Based in Suffolk in the UK, Karen is an award-winning figure and portrait artist whose oil paintings are a commentary on the weight of expectations. Focusing on the physical body and the scrutiny to which it is commonly subjected, Karen’s paintings explore what society expects of a woman, the ways in which a woman’s shape is often considered to define her, and the impact that this has on her life and sense of self. An examination of the inherent bias against, and at times discrimination of, fat bodies, her work challenges the traditionally narrow view of who can be considered beautiful, as she sensitively presents her subjects in a way that both celebrates and normalises. Born in London in 1978, Karen attended Hampstead Fine Arts College before going on to a career in the City. Since returning to art in 2020 she has been awarded the President's Prize by the Institute of East Anglian Artists, the Professional Artist Award by the Visual Artists Association and the Art Fluent Evolution Grant. ​ She was a finalist in the Theo Paphitis Art Prize, the Holly Bush Emerging Woman Painter Prize and the Women United Art Prize, as well as being shortlisted for the New Emergence Art Prize. Karen exhibited at The Other Art Fair London in 2023 and 2022, where in 2022 she was selected as the Fair Director's Pick. In 2022 she was invited to participate in one of Art on a Postcard's celebrated auctions, and more recently Karen was invited by fashion and fine art photographers Inez and Vinoodh to join Double Dutch. An online charity gifting platform, her work features alongside the likes of Cindy Sherman, Gary Hume, Es Devlin and Lady Gaga.