About this artwork
Price: $175 AUD

The page which inspired my artwork is ‘The Home of England’s Sovereigns’, Newnes’ Pictorial Encyclopedia, Volume 2, The Romance of History. The caption under the image explains that the picture was ‘Specifically painted for this work’. Although it is difficult to read the signature, I think the artist’s name is Chandler. When I looked at this picture I was struck by the way the wealth and grandeur of Windsor Castle is downplayed, it appears instead as if it is a natural part of the landscape; the various buildings, including the Round Tower and St George’s Chapel emerge from the trees and bushes almost as if they are landforms in a band of hills. The castle buildings are sandwiched between vegetation, sky and water, occupying less than a third of the pictorial space. My artwork conforms with this horizontal division into thirds; land, sky, water, however I have included gold and copper leaf because I want to draw attention to the riches that ‘The Home of England’s Sovereigns’ contains, and the resources required for its construction and upkeep. I’ve also tried to make the castle buildings more prominent without compromising the sense of calm and order that the original image evokes.

About Karen

My art is primarily concerned with representing sensations arising from interactions with and within the physical and imaginary environments that I inhabit. I create works that aim to evoke ideas and feelings for the viewer by extending invitations to experience and engage with arrangements and combinations of colour, texture, shape and form within defined two and three dimensional spaces. Although I am primarily committed to producing abstract work, during Covid isolation my art has taken a figurative turn. Narrowed social interactions, clearing an overgrown garden, planting a vegetable patch, acquiring some chickens, and long walks in the countryside where I live in West Gippsland have focussed my attention on the detail of the botanical life flourishing around me. I have been particularly interested in how irregular patterns form and emerge from the way vegetation intertwines, and how these botanical arrangements are ordered by and positioned within the elements which sustain and nurture them.

Link to Karen’s Art Aviso profile HERE

Karen was provided with the following page from Newnes’ Pictorial Knowledge Encyclopedia:

Volume 2
The Romance of History
The home of Englands Sovereigns