For me Art was always present growing up. My grandfather was an artist and photographer, and my mother is deeply creative, so making and drawing felt very natural from a young age. As a teenager, I spent time working in a local artist’s studio outside of school, and that’s where something really clicked for me. I discovered charcoal and became fascinated by line, light and shadow – how a single mark could carry emotion and movement. That stayed with me through my studies at National College of Art and Design. After college, there was a period where I felt disconnected creatively, but looking back now, I can see that time differently. It eventually became part of the reason I founded SoulSketch – creating spaces that help people reconnect to creativity, presence and themselves. When I returned fully to painting in my 30s after nearly a decade away, it didn’t feel like starting again. It felt like returning to something that had always been there.

My work sits mainly within abstraction, though it’s deeply connected to landscape and the energetic relationship between our physical bodies, time and the space we inhabit. Land as a storyteller, mythology, history and Irish heritage all play significant parts in my work. Layering is central to how I work. The underpainting often remains visible beneath the surface, carrying traces of movement, instinct and decision. I think that mirrors how we exist ourselves – shaped by experience, memory and inherited story. There’s often a tension between stillness and movement in the paintings. Some moments feel contemplative and quiet, while others feel instinctive and physical. I’m interested in allowing something to emerge naturally rather than forcing it.

My process is intuitive, though there’s still discipline within it. Movement in nature is a huge part of how ideas arrive – particularly in Donegal. Being in landscape, noticing texture, weather and shifts in light. That sensory experience feeds directly into the work. I work between my Dublin studio and my Byre studio in Donegal, usually across multiple canvases at once. I rarely focus on one painting in isolation. The pieces tend to evolve together over long periods of time and begin to form their own rhythm as a collection. I often work standing and move constantly while painting. If I feel stuck, I step away, walk outside or shift into movement. I’ve learned not to force the work. Some paintings sit unfinished for months until they reveal what they need. Meditation and stillness also support the process. In recent years, ceremonial cacao has become another part of that rhythm, creating a sense of calm and clarity that allows ideas to surface more naturally.

A lot of my inspiration comes from landscape, history and the body – particularly the relationship between Irish land and memory. Donegal continues to shape how I think and work. There’s something ancient and steady about that landscape. I’m fascinated by how Ireland once functioned through oral storytelling, where land itself acted as memory holder through paths, rivers and mythology. I’m also inspired by cyclical rhythms – growth, decay, renewal – and how those same patterns exist within us as people. How we can be defined by time. More than anything, curiosity drives the work. I’ve learned to trust discovery rather than over-planning everything. Often ideas arrive in fragments and slowly the dots connect themselves. 

There’s often a sense of searching within the paintings – a longing for reconnection to land, memory, self and something steady beneath the noise of modern life. Inherited memory appears quite naturally in the work too – the idea that history and experience live within us in ways we don’t always fully understand. There’s also resilience in the paintings, though perhaps in a quieter way. The kind of endurance you see in landscape and in people.

Yes, though probably in a quieter and more grounded way than people might expect.

I’m interested in presence, energy, intuition and the idea that the body holds memory and emotion. Meditation has influenced how I work for many years, particularly the practice of creating stillness and allowing space for something instinctive to emerge. I think there’s an intuitive or spiritual thread running through the work now that I’ve become more comfortable allowing to exist naturally. It feels less about explanation and more about trust.

For me, living creatively means paying attention. Staying curious. Trusting instinct. It also means discipline – showing up even when the work feels uncertain or unresolved. Now, in my late 40s, I feel much more comfortable in my work and in myself. The path hasn’t been linear, but the pull towards creating was always there. Eventually you learn to listen to that voice rather than resist it. With lots more empathy and kindness.. that helps a lot!

Nothing compares to the feeling of being in Flow State.. The moments where the work just happens into existence. You lose track of time, lose any sense of self- the world melts away and something truthful begins to emerge. I also never take for granted that the work ends up living in people’s homes. That feels incredibly meaningful to me. My hope is always that the paintings bring a sense of calm  and presence into a space.

I think creativity asks for trust more than certainty. There can be periods where things feel blocked or disconnected, but I don’t see those moments as failure anymore. Often they become part of the work itself. I also think comparison can silence people creatively. The most important thing is developing a relationship with your own voice and learning to trust what genuinely moves you. 

People can find my work through my website, Karen Anne Fine Art, or through Instagram at @karenanne_mclaughlin. You can follow along my Donegal studio Instagram @byrestudioinishowen, and for Cacao & Creativity events follow @Soul_Sketch_Ireland.

I’m currently preparing for a solo exhibition at Ranelagh Arts in August 2026 titled The Hidden Light Series.

The collection has been developing over the past year and explores resilience, inherited memory and the quieter forms of hope that exist beneath difficult periods. Much of the work has taken shape through long stretches of time spent immersed in my Donegal studio. Alongside that, I’m continuing to develop SoulSketch Workshops, Events and Retreats creating spaces that bring together art, movement, meditation and creativity in a more accessible and grounded way.