Karen Stamper

I have been painting for as long as I can remember, for me it's a form of escapism and a cathartic process.

With a degree in fashion and a career in graphics I have developed a strong style that creates a certain amount of visual conflict and irony.

My work starts life in a sketchbook where I can play around with personal thoughts and ideas, but once I start to paint, the ideas are conveyed into another world of pantomime, performance and carnival.

I create work that may be sinister in narrative but is beautiful to look at; on the one hand dark and uncertain, on the other bright and enchanting. It's an amalgamation of all the things that inspire me: sex, politics, business, war, history, culture and the human desire for peace.

We live in a society that perpetuates sinister ideologies. I want to break those down to reveal that we are all beautiful, powerful and strong.