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About the Artist
New Zealand born artist Karen Friend took up painting, initially as a hobby, at the age of 40, and loved it so much she just can’t stop. Painting a broad range of subjects, using a number of different styles, she is always trying new techniques and enjoys the unplanned pathways her art leads her.
She often gets asked where she gets her inspiration from, and her honest response is ‘almost everything’. She looks at the marvel of mother nature and it makes her want to capture the moment on canvas; or it might be people just sharing a coffee under the shade of an umbrella; a bartender pouring a beer; an animal just doing its thing – basically whatever captures her attention or appeals to her at the time, becomes a focus to try and capture the essence of the moment on canvas - and she knows she has achieved that
when she can look at the finished piece and it evokes the same feeling, memory or emotion as it did at conception. As she herself has commented: “The greatest compliment I get is when people say to me, they can feel the soul of the painting while looking at it – that’s when I know I have ‘nailed’ it.”
Her creativity extends to reclaiming furniture and vintage ware, incorporating artwork in her design. She describes the process of creating and coordinating pieces into a cohesive overall design for her Gallery as ‘the best, most fun, job in the world.’
Karen’s work can be found at her Gallery ‘Boundary Creek’ in Tuatapere, on her website, facebook and in several collections across the South Island.
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