KAREN TURNER

ARTIST BIO

Based in Suffolk in the UK, Karen is an award-winning figure and portrait artist whose oil paintings are a commentary on the weight of expectations. Focusing on the physical body and the scrutiny to which it is commonly subjected, Karen’s paintings explore what society expects of a woman, the ways in which a woman’s shape is often considered to define her, and the impact that this has on her life and sense of self. An examination of the inherent bias against, and at times discrimination of, fat bodies, her work challenges the traditionally narrow view of who can be considered beautiful, as she sensitively presents her subjects in a way that both celebrates and normalises. Born in London in 1978, Karen attended Hampstead Fine Arts College before going on to a career in the City. Since returning to art in 2020 she has been awarded the President’s Prize by the Institute of East Anglian Artists, the Professional Artist Award by the Visual Artists Association, the Art Fluent Evolution Grant and the Boynes Monthly Art Prize. She was a finalist in the Theo Paphitis Art Prize, the Holly Bush Emerging Woman Painter Prize and the Women United Art Prize, as well as being shortlisted for the New Emergence Art Prize. Karen exhibited at The Other Art Fair London in 2023 and 2022, where in 2022 she was selected as the Fair Director’s Pick. Last year she was invited to participate in one of Art on a Postcard’s celebrated auctions, and more recently Karen was invited by fashion and fine art photographers Inez and Vinoodh to join Double Dutch. An online charity gifting platform, her work features alongside the likes of Cindy Sherman, Gary Hume, Es Devlin and Lady Gaga.

ARTIST STATEMENT

A figure and portrait artist, my work concentrates on women and is a commentary on the weight of expectations placed on the female sex. With a particular focus on the physical body and the scrutiny to which is it commonly subjected, my oil paintings explore what society expects of a woman, the ways in which her physical shape is often considered to define her, and the impact that this has on her life and sense of self. Leaving bare much of the clear-primed linen canvas, I place my sitters front and centre and depict them devoid of surroundings to represent the way in which women, their choices and their bodies are so often judged without context. Sometimes my figures are close cropped to represent the direct scrutiny a woman’s body is regularly placed under, judged not only on its ability to look pleasing, but also on its ability to live up to expectations around reproduction and motherhood. Much of my work is inspired by historical representations of the female nude, and I like to subvert these portrayals of womanhood - sometimes depicting an 'imperfect' body in a traditionally Romantic pose, or replacing a nubile young Mid-Century pin up with an altogether fleshier model. I work in oils without medium and wet on wet, applying very thin layers with a fine brush in order to achieve a delicately blended end result. Colour is crucial as I seek to highlight pigments in the skin that can often go unnoticed, emphasising and sometimes exaggerating them in order that I might accentuate their beauty.


www.karenturnerfineart.com
IG: @karen_turner_artist