Karen studied Fine Art Painting at WSCAD in the UK where she gained a BA Honours Degree. She later moved to London to work for Alecto Historical Editions on three prestigious projects, Joseph Banks “Florilegium”, Ferdinand Bauer’s “Illustrationes Florae Novae Hollandiae” and Karl Bodmer’s “America”. Here she honed her meticulous skills and went on to work on contemporary editions for Elizabeth Butterworth at D’Erlanger Publishing. Later she became Studio Manager at London Contemporary Art where she met her future husband and fellow artist, Gary Benfield.

Now returning to her first love of oil painting, she lovingly captures the beauty and character of her equine and canine subjects, combining these portraits with decorative floral elements.

“Dogs have been in my life since I was born, in fact the only period without canine companionship was during my degree course! I don’t think there is a more rewarding subject matter than painting gorgeous, loving hounds of all shapes and sizes. I paint in oils, mainly on panel. On the backs of the panels I make mixed media, fabric and paper inlays to reflect the title and details of the sitter. I work from a mix of life “sittings” and photographs. Sometimes photographs are the only option when working on commissions from distant locations such as America. Latterly, I seem to have painted quite a few rescue dogs. The model for “La Levrette” is a retired Greyhound called Izzy, who has featured in at least three paintings. Perhaps I’m drawn to them as my own dog, Tess, was a rescue Staffie, who has been my constant companion for fifteen years.”