Karen van de Graaf
- Work
- Biography
Karen van de Graaf is a specialist in portraiture. Thanks to her ability to capture a likeness and due to her experience at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival as a portrait artist, her artworks hang on walls all over the world. She often works to commission and has been told her portraits look alive. She has always been fascinated by people and enjoys capturing some of her sitter’s personality when making her artworks.
In addition to people, she is really enjoying collage as a medium to enable her to explore her love of texture and patterns more fully. Most recently, for her solo exhibition in the Dundas Gallery, Edinburgh, she explored her time at the Fringe in 2024. Making a series of collage artworks from an “insiders” perspective taught her how much of the crowd she actually blocks out. This body of work depicted small garden birds too, which helped her get grounded after the buzz of the Royal Mile. Her work is fun, colourful and full of character. She really enjoys hiding parts of faces within some of her collages. Her mission to spread a little joy to people.
In addition to people, she is really enjoying collage as a medium to enable her to explore her love of texture and patterns more fully. Most recently, for her solo exhibition in the Dundas Gallery, Edinburgh, she explored her time at the Fringe in 2024. Making a series of collage artworks from an “insiders” perspective taught her how much of the crowd she actually blocks out. This body of work depicted small garden birds too, which helped her get grounded after the buzz of the Royal Mile. Her work is fun, colourful and full of character. She really enjoys hiding parts of faces within some of her collages. Her mission to spread a little joy to people.
December 2024 - first solo exhibition in Edinburgh, at the Dundas Gallery.
August, September and October 2024 – Invited to feature in the “Art Edits”, House & Garden Magazine.
Summer 2016 – Summer 2024 – Portrait Street Artist, drawing faces from life at speed. Locations: Glasgow City Centre, Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Festivals in Falkirk.
September 2023 – Awarded a Guiness World Record. By being part of the largest number of people to ever simultaneously paint a portrait of a single sitter, in only an hour. She was one of only 200 artist to be invited to London to take part in this event organised by Sky Arts, Portrait Artist of the Year. Sitter: Sir Lenny Henry.
July 2022 – sold my artworks at the Merchant City Festival.
Summer 2022 – Exhibited my artwork as a solo artist during Forth Valley Art Beat Open studios.
September 2021 – Won a portrait painting competition held at the V&A in Dundee.
Summer 2018 – Exhibited a portrait at the Paisley Art Institute.
2015 – 2019 – Devised the Falkirk Creative Collective. A group of local artists brought together to provide support, motivation, to encourage creative activity and to hold pop-up art sales in the Falkirk area. The majority of the members were women with young children and very little time. Together we took part in the Forth Valley Open Studio in 2017.
From 2019 – Present – Designing and delivering, Demonstrations & Art Workshops at various Art Clubs throughout Scotland. Many clubs invite her to return.
August, September and October 2024 – Invited to feature in the “Art Edits”, House & Garden Magazine.
Summer 2016 – Summer 2024 – Portrait Street Artist, drawing faces from life at speed. Locations: Glasgow City Centre, Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Festivals in Falkirk.
September 2023 – Awarded a Guiness World Record. By being part of the largest number of people to ever simultaneously paint a portrait of a single sitter, in only an hour. She was one of only 200 artist to be invited to London to take part in this event organised by Sky Arts, Portrait Artist of the Year. Sitter: Sir Lenny Henry.
July 2022 – sold my artworks at the Merchant City Festival.
Summer 2022 – Exhibited my artwork as a solo artist during Forth Valley Art Beat Open studios.
September 2021 – Won a portrait painting competition held at the V&A in Dundee.
Summer 2018 – Exhibited a portrait at the Paisley Art Institute.
2015 – 2019 – Devised the Falkirk Creative Collective. A group of local artists brought together to provide support, motivation, to encourage creative activity and to hold pop-up art sales in the Falkirk area. The majority of the members were women with young children and very little time. Together we took part in the Forth Valley Open Studio in 2017.
From 2019 – Present – Designing and delivering, Demonstrations & Art Workshops at various Art Clubs throughout Scotland. Many clubs invite her to return.
- Karen van de Graaf
- Royal Mile during Fringe
- Collage
- Karen van de Graaf
- Living Statue at the Fringe Edinburgh
- Collage
- Karen van de Graaf
- Forth Bridge Edinburgh
- Collage
- Karen van de Graaf
- Bagpiper
- Collage
- Karen van de Graaf
- Steel Drummer
- Collage
- Karen van de Graaf
- Juggler
- Collage
- Karen van de Graaf
- Charcaol pet Portrait
- Charcoal
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