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Karen Gourley artist smiling outdoors with a robin pastel painting on her lap and her pastel box beside her

I'm Karen, and noticing is where every painting begins

I'm a wildlife artist based in Christchurch, New Zealand, although there's still plenty of Belfast tucked into the edges.

I spend a slightly unreasonable amount of time watching birds, wandering beside rivers and trying to photograph wildlife before it notices me first. These encounters become the beginnings of my pastel paintings.

A little more about me

Find your way in

Karen Gourley selecting soft pastels from her wooden pastel box

From a wild encounter to the kitchen table

Each painting is created slowly by hand in soft pastel. I build the feathers, fur and tiny glints of light layer by layer, trying to hold onto the feeling of the original encounter.

My studio is currently the kitchen table. It isn't terribly grand, but it does come with excellent access to the kettle.

As Seen In
Aotearoa Artist MagazineFeatured 4-Page Artist SpreadRead the Feature →

Stories from The Quiet Wild


The finished painting is only part of the story. Come behind the scenes as I search for wildlife, follow new ideas and share the encounters that find their way onto the easel.

  • Framed artwork of New Zealand native birds from Karen Gourley's Forest Collection, in soft sunlight

    A Little Piece of the Forest, From Me to You

    Four little native birds, each with their own personality, and one simple idea: helping more people connect with the wildlife around them. Here's why I've created my Forest Collection and...

    A Little Piece of the Forest, From Me to You

    Four little native birds, each with their own personality, and one simple idea: helping more people connect with the wildlife around them. Here's why I've created my Forest Collection and...

  • Behind The Forest Collection

    Behind The Forest Collection

    For the past few weeks, my kitchen table has slowly been disappearing underneath pastel sticks, reference photos and a growing collection of little New Zealand birds. I've been working on...

    Behind The Forest Collection

    For the past few weeks, my kitchen table has slowly been disappearing underneath pastel sticks, reference photos and a growing collection of little New Zealand birds. I've been working on...

  • Bird of the Year is back. And I have a problem...

    Bird of the Year is back. And I have a problem...

    Voting for Bird of the Year 2026 opens today. Here are the NZ native birds I have painted, from the kakaruwai to the kotare to the ruru, and the one...

    Bird of the Year is back. And I have a problem...

    Voting for Bird of the Year 2026 opens today. Here are the NZ native birds I have painted, from the kakaruwai to the kotare to the ruru, and the one...

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