This year I am desperately hoping that the exhibitions will be live, as I love to talk to people not only about my art, but also finding out what interests the visitors. It is also so exciting when people come and really "get" you, and to feel their excitement with my work . I have so many more paintings than I have room to exhibit on this site, so please click onto my website to see more, as I am always adding ! www.karenjoyart.weebly.com I am also always happy to show people the paintings for real from my studio ( so much better really!) My work is based on the wonderful rolling landscape of Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, the Chilterns and even the Cotswolds. My work is always impressionistic, but this year I have found myself often going very abstractly, as it is my feeling about the landscape I am keen to explore and portray. Although I am exhibiting with two groups during art weeks this year, I would love people to come to visit me in my studio, when its allowed, to really see how I work and view even more work I am exhibiting in two locations during the 3 weeks of Oxfordshire Art Weeks -: Saturday May 1st - Sunday May 9th with the Bicester Art Group at Bicester Hotel Golf and Spa Green lane Chesterton Oxon OX26 1th, with over 20 different 2 and 3 D artists, it will be such a tremendous visitor experience
May 16th - Sunday May23rd I am exhibiting with the Chalgrove artists at Chalgrove Church, Church Lane Chalgrove OX44 7SB There are another 10 varied artists. both exhibitions so exciting.
I am also exhibiting with the Bucks Open Studios in the pretty St Nicholas Church, Risborough Road. Kingsey HP17 8LY. We are open the 3 WEEKENDS June 5th/6th; 12th/13th; 19th/20th June . Again a lovely group of various artist and makers with tea /coffee and cake
I am also going to have OPEN STUDIO at my studio on MAY30TH & JULY 11TH BOTH 10AM-4PM Please contact me if you are interested, ideally so we can arrange a mutually agreeable time. Be so wonderful to be able to show you so much work and with refreshments!
August 7th /8th I hope to be exhibiting at "art in the park" in Leamington Spa. This looks to be going to be a really fun weekend
Originally I trained and worked as a commercial picture restorer, and in so doing got inspired to go to art college as a slightly mature student. Here I mainly worked with print medium, really loving the process. I then got married and while my family grew up I returned to working from home for several galleries as a picture restore - I'm afraid safe money was needed, as our main income was from training and keeping horses at livery on our farm, -a far cry from the art scene I had been involved in during my time in London. Once the family grew up, It was then that painting for myself began calling me back. I started using watercolour for several years which taught me a lot about the various aspects and details of art making, but having discovered acrylic as a medium, I knew immediately I had found what I needed, to start producing the work that was inside me. The freedom, immediacy and such total versality of this medium is just wonderful
I am an acrylic impressionistic/ sometimes abstract landscape artist, using the real image of the scene sometimes more than others. I always paint to keep exploring the colours, textures mark making and just push more and more to find what can be done to portray our wonderful countryside, be it literally or emotionally, depending how I am drawn. I find painting so totally exciting and have been so lucky that during lockdown this year I have been able to walk through my local landscape for inspiration, both actual and emotionally. My work has definitely been my saviour this year and the time to explore into it further also wonderful, but I look forward to meeting and sharing my work now, and look forward to meeting you.
I work constantly in my studio at home