❋
My life has been filled with many dogs right from the start….
'All my life I have been drawing and painting dogs, from the first Cocker Spaniel we had when I was a small child to sitting at dog shows each weekend sketching at the side of the ring. ‘
I'm Karen Harman, based in Bingley, West Yorkshire, England. I mostly create commissioned portraits. I capture those little endearing qualities, or even the downright silly antics, that make your animals so special.
My late mum loved dogs, so much so that she decided to breed and show Cocker Spaniels. They always lived in the house with us, there was no kennel business. So, over the years this gave me all sorts of experiences with dogs. Hand rearing puppies, been on call for welping time, grooming and trimming were all part of the gig.
I spent many hours sketching all these dogs at various times.
I now have just the one Cocker Spaniel, Betty, who is naturally as daft as any. And a cat, which was a curve ball for me, but Lulu is just as loved.
Every animal I have the priviledge of painting, is their own being; there isn’t another one like them. I’m not interested in replicating them in a photographic style, it is all about ‘that’ look, the way they rest their head, the way they sigh, the way they lean into and sit against your legs, the trust in their eyes.
Let’s work together.
I am a professionally trained artist with a BA (Hons) in Illustration from UWE. My work is on quality canvas using professional level materials.
I have a wealth of teaching experience having worked in the FE sector teaching Art for over 5 years, following my professional teaching qualification, PGCert.