about me
Im an Artist and Illustrator living in West Cork Ireland, who loves all things vintage and nostalgic, dusty things in attics, retro design/decor, antiques, history and memories My painting , drawing and illustrations have been described as “quirky” sometimes with a dark feel evoking the surreal aspects of dreams I like to use intense pattern design and mostly illustrate women, flowers and birds
Most images you see on my website can made into a print so if you see something you like and its not in the shop please get in touch
Cheers from Karen x
Danny Boy ..illustrating favourite songs
Music and song is so evocative and can bring back moving memories. I take commisions for those who want see their song in image form
To find out more about the process of Danny Boy scroll down to my projects
Work in Progress
"Homage to Leonora"
Above is a picture of a recent art work of mine, “Homage to Leonora” imagined as a wall decoration. However if this just TOO BIG for you why not choose Leonora as an art print 11.5 x8.5 cm click here SHOP
Paint Your Wagon
Decorating and patterning ..love it! More about painting a gypsy caravan below in My Projects
The White Lady of Kinsale ..illustrating myth and place
The White Lady is a famous ghost from Kinsale West Cork Ireland . Ive recently moved to Kinsale and whilst exploring I place the her in different settings around the town
My Projects
Music and song is so evocative and can bring back moving memories.
I take commisions for those who want see their song in image form
These pictures are showing a work in progress
The task was to illustrate the song “Danny Boy” and what you see here is my experimetnation with ambience and background .
Which one to choose now and work with is my present dilemma!!! What do you think?
Paint Your Wagon
Recently I was commissioned to decorate a gypsy caravan
A dream job as I love pattern design and can get in “the zone” when hand painting pattern repeats
The owner wanted the finish to look like original wagon painting art which leads to lots of research and many fascinating YouTube videos on the subject
I designed the patterns using a french curve to ensure they were symmetrical and then transferred them on to the wagon
After investing in some decent brushes and 1 Step Signwriting paint .. (a bit pricey but well worth it for ease of application and durability) we were ready to start
A big shout here out for the on-site help from my friend and assistant Donal
During this project, I’ve learned a lot about taking the time and not rushing to get the job finished.
Apart from the basic scrolls I had no concrete plan as to where the design will go, it is just so satisfying to let the work grow organically.
I am always happy to take commissions for similar work, furniture, interior decor and so on the permutations are endless!
P.s during a rain shower, I sheltered inside the caravan.
Small but perfectly formed I could live in there! Just Beautiful!
telling stories
Lizards Discard Their Tales
I am working on an comic style autobiographical story.
It narrates a slice of my life as child circa 1950s , living in Cyprus on an RAF base
It also relates the drama of my mother’s affair with an EOKA spy and the disintegration of my parents marriage
