How much of the wild do you notice?
The Quiet Wild began with the moments that ask us to stop. A kingfisher flashing beside the water. A bee buried in the centre of a flower. A bird watching quietly from a branch before disappearing again.
They are easy moments to miss. But once you begin noticing them, the world feels different.
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.
New from The Quiet Wild
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Full Bloom | Bumblebee Fine Art Print
Regular price From $100.00 NZDRegular price -
Dahlia Delight | Bumblebee Fine Art Print
Regular price From $100.00 NZDRegular price
Find your piece of The Quiet Wild
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Kotare Sacred Kingfisher - Limited Edition Fine Art Print
Regular price From $145.00 NZDRegular price -
The Following Fantail - Limited Edition Fine Art Print
Regular price From $145.00 NZDRegular price -
Eye of the Beholder
Regular price From $225.00 NZDRegular price -
Dahlia Delight | Bumblebee Fine Art Print
Regular price From $100.00 NZDRegular price
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.
Stories from The Quiet Wild
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The Garden I Almost Tidied Away
It started with a patch of nettles I kept meaning to deal with. They had tucked themselves behind the lavender and I would look at them and think, I really...
The Garden I Almost Tidied Away
It started with a patch of nettles I kept meaning to deal with. They had tucked themselves behind the lavender and I would look at them and think, I really...
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Two Robins. Two Countries. Two Very Different P...
Two Robins. Two Countries. Two Very Different Personalities. The South Island robin is one of New Zealand's most curious forest birds. If you've ever met one on a walk through...
Two Robins. Two Countries. Two Very Different P...
Two Robins. Two Countries. Two Very Different Personalities. The South Island robin is one of New Zealand's most curious forest birds. If you've ever met one on a walk through...
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Photographing Kotare at Allandale Reserve: The ...
There was frost on the grass when Buddy and I left the house. Sometimes the best moments arrive just after you decide to stay a little longer.
Photographing Kotare at Allandale Reserve: The ...
There was frost on the grass when Buddy and I left the house. Sometimes the best moments arrive just after you decide to stay a little longer.
