Karen Connor · Winner Collectors Art Prize
A selling artist, Karen Connor, appreciates the small details in life and uses those details to breathe realism into her art. Precision is the name of her game and Connor has over 25 years’ experience perfecting her craft. The greater the detail, the greater her satisfaction is, in her work. No detail is overlooked, the lines on the petals of a flower, the light that hits an eye, a piece of hair or fur, are all placed meticulously to make her paintings as real as possible.
From a young age, Connor examined how light, and shadows created different effects on various subjects, such as the light coming in through a window touching sections of the floor, the curtains, the furniture or parts of a body if someone was in the room. She would follow patterns and shapes, with her eyes, that appeared on vinyl flooring and see shapes and cartoons, like caricatures, the same as when you look at the clouds.
Connor was always interested in color, and when she was a child, she would try all the shades of one color, in a big box of Crayola crayons, to discover the subtle visual differences between each shade. This skill, learned many years ago, helps her mix many shades of similar paint colors today, to create beautiful effects in her paintings.
In a world that sometimes seems bleak, getting lost in a piece of art can inspire you to do anything.
The Beauty is in the Details, 2023, Acrylic on canvas, 22.9 x 30.5 cm
Striped Beauty, 2023, Acrylic on canvas, 20.3 x 25.4 cm
Red Roof Cabin, 2018, Oil on canvas, 50 x 40 cm
Hero, 2022, Acrylic on canvas, 40.6 x 50.8
Forest Friend, 2023. Acrylic on canvas, 20.3 cm x 25.4cm
