I am a graduate from the BA (Hons) Arts Therapies degree course at Derby University. This course equips students with theoretical knowledge of the therapeutic arts, and allows the individual to develop creative work in their chosen art pathway. During my studies I became interested in the potential to express the subconscious through art making, and this approach has developed over the years. My work provides me with a way of exorcising demons, being playful and expressing a range of emotions that may be difficult to connect with on a rational level. Themes of natural forms, colour as a way of expressing emotion and the internal working of the human body are often present in my work.

Influenced by the gestural and expressive approach of the Abstract Expressionist movement, I usually allow the piece to develop on the canvas as I am painting rather than coming to the work with a set idea of how the finished painting will look. I am concerned with creating texture and using strong colour in my work, and work in a wide range of media to achieve this. The viewer is invited to bring their own experience and interpretations to the work, rather than having my interpretation of the work given to them.

Karen