Karen is astonished by this success but thinks it may be because people respond to the spirit of her paintings. "Any art form, whether it is music, poetry, books or art, should transport you to another place," she said, "I hope that when someone looks into one of my paintings they will see a story there."

Best known for her interiors, Karen likes to create a picture of a room in which every detail is faithfully recorded. The furniture, the carpet, the wallpaper, books on tables, flowers in a vase, a cup of coffee are all part of the composition. Usually the room has a window with a view to the landscape beyond. She keeps returning to the subject. "The place where we live is our own personal theatre," she said. "It is a stage setting for our lives."

Karen's own home is a perfect setting for her and for here imaginative work; one of three stone and brick cottages built in 1890 for quarrymen in Crows Nest, one room leads to the next with her studio at the back overlooking here garden and the ancient trees and headstones of St Thomas' Park. Large framed paintings hang on the walls and smaller ones are placed on shelves and tables throughout the house.

Not all of the paintings are of interiors, She has just finished a spectacular night-time scene of the countryside where she used to live; a painting of dramatic midnight blues filled with stars.

Recently, a white horse has begun to appear in many of her paintings. "There are lots of interesting symbols associated with horses," she said "the Celtic Goddess of creativity, Epone, is represented by a white mare. To me, the white mare conveys a sense of freedom and joy."...Excerpt from North Shore Times