I spend my days in colour - Framed in oak

Part of my current series of works focusing on the minute details within the flowers of the protea, and banksia.

These works have evolved over the years, derived from my series of still life native flowers, but taking the shapes from within the flowers and zooming into the detail in an obsessive way, placing them all over the abstract landscapes in the background with a veneer of organic shapes. This abstract interpretation results in a pixelated impression, giving the viewer a mesmerising impression of the composition. These works are painstakingly slow to paint, the emphasis is on the detail, taking the work in a different direction to its original format.

The brush strokes are added to create texture and movement over the canvas in a lyrical dance, and unexpected way. The process is a therapy, which was and unexpected consequence.

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Featured on THE BLOCK 2025!
Having resided in South Africa and Australia, Karen Goddard’s abstracts and floral artworks are deeply influenced by the botanicals and environmental facets familiar to both. Her still life depictions encapsulate the innate shapes and exuberance of her organic subjects, while her mark making abstractions embody their unique and specific colourations. Previously living through times of national turmoil and transformation, her works persistently focus on the beauty of her natural surroundings, and deliver an emotive and meditative quality that arouses captivation and peace.

Favouring an impressionistic creative approach, Karen alternates between oils and acrylics in order to produce diverse compositional elements, imagery and texturizations. She typically begins by depositing a ground colour onto the canvas, which habitually determines the ethos of the work. Layering the complimentary colours in stages, which are individually mixed through a meticulously process, each of the darker shades are typically set down first, while lighter colours are introduced later. A pattern of short and repetitive brushstrokes are utilised in the creation of her abstracts, which produces an overlay over the existing colour work, and instigates the qualities of movement and flow.

Extremely diverse in her work, Karen is an Australian Artist Located in Queensland. Karen has called the Gold Coast home for over 16 years where she paints full time. Educated originally in the UK, her travels sent her to South Africa in her teens, where she worked for an Investment Company in Cape Town for many years. It was later when Karen had young children that she decided to study Art, and learned sound skills in all mediums, giving her a strong foundation in drawing, collage, print making and painting with Oils and Acrylics and water colours. Inspired by Impressionist period, she is fearless in her use of colour; a diverse Artist, working across the spectrum of compositions, from Abstract to Portraiture, Landscape and Still Life. Constantly challenging herself to produce a varying body of work. Some of these are now available on Blue thumb. Enjoy the gallery and thank you for looking.