Karen Donoghue Artwork

Having graduated from Limerick College of Art & Design in 1990, I worked for over 15 years in the Irish fashion industry. Becoming a mum of 3 boys, I craved my own creative outlet & rekindled my first love 'fine art' in 2015...I have been experimenting & creating Art in my garden studio ever since.

I create Art in response to my love of the landscape and natural materials. My Art focuses on the ancient painting process of encaustic, meaning to 'burn in'...Heat is used throughout the whole process, each molten layer is fused to the previous one on a wooden panel. Dry brush techniques build textures while potters tools incise & scrape away to reveal what lies beneath. The lustrous quality of encaustic reflects the soft diffused light of the landscape. Rather than actual representation, I aim to capture atmosphere and a sense of place in my painting...  Striving towards a sustainable Art practise, my handmade  encaustic medium is a blend of natural beeswax, tree resin & raw pigments; plastic and solvent free.

More recently I've also been working on the concept of circularity and authencity in design, launching my Shady Bee Lampshade designs....I recycle old lampshade frames, bringing them back to life using vintage fabrics & traditional hand-crafted methods. Each unique lampshade is an artistic statement with its own story to tell...The idea of giving an old object value by upcycling, repair & redesign, ready for its next best life, is ever more important... Once again the bee represents rebirth and light in my Artwork, all that is good in nature. 

 Having exhibited my Art locally in both group/solo exhibitions and galleries throughout Leinster, I am a registered member of Visual Arts Ireland, the Design & Crafts Council of Ireland and the Gather group, a multidisciplinary Arts and Crafts collective in Co.Kildare.