Karen O’Neill is an emerging artist based in the Redlands with a lifelong passion for visual art. Currently working in gouache and mixed media, she draws on her sense of wonder and love of colour to express her faith, its freedom, and the beauty of the natural world. Recently, she has transitioned from representational work to a more abstract and semi-abstract style, using bold colours and lines to create a personal visual language.

Karen has received formal art training, regularly exhibits in group shows, and continues to develop her practice through weekly sessions with Access Arts. She has lived experience of mental illness, both personally and as a carer. Karen loves the opportunity to use bright colours during her well periods to reinforce positivity. 

This piece was guided by a mix of materials, to take myself on a journey to the unexpected. The process was intentionally intuitive, to access the subconscious through an abstract lens. I sought to create a balance in the use of texture and movement - light and shade; soft and sharp. I am developing a personal visual vocabulary. This internal landscape describes my state of being as a scene of dynamic and harmonious flow; a sense of excited energy and contentment co-existing.