Karen’s distinctive style of oil painting using a palette knife is characterised by, thick, buttery, colourful paint capturing the vibrancy of her subjects.
Mainly self-taught, she has a painted all her life, the catalyst being the gift of oil paints from her sister at an early age. In fact, she has an oil painting that she painted when she was twelve years old.

Following a painting workshop in Holland, plein air influenced her work, with inspiration around every corner of Skerries and beyond. The daily painting movement inspires her small still life paintings in oil of local scenery and kitchen still lives. Working mostly with a palette knife, her paintings are characterised by vigorous thick buttery slashes of colour, with highlights of heavy impasto paint.

She paints every day, either a small still life painted in her Studio/Gallery, situated in the magnificent courtyard of the 15th century restored watermill, or, weather permitting, a plein air study of either of the two magnificent beaches or harbour, right on her doorstep in Skerries.