Artist of the day: Artist of the Day, May 16, 2026 : Karen Stamper, a British painter, collage artist (#2528)

Saturday, May 16, 2026

Artist of the Day, May 16, 2026 : Karen Stamper, a British painter, collage artist (#2528)

Karen Stamper: Growing up on the east coast of Yorkshire as a happy beachcomber I was attracted to paint-peeling wooden boats, gaudy plastic scraps and brightly colored fishing floats. As a child I was free to wander, explore and collect. It is these boatyard memories that have become my subject and endless inspiration.

At Art College I was immediately draw to the dense flat colors of silk screen printing, for which I received a commendation. It was on a travel scholarship that I saw Matisse’s cut-outs for the first time; it was the scale of his work, the intensity, the pin holes, crease lines and torn edges that fired my imagination.

Whilst secondary school teaching I developed my collage work. I combine found papers with layers of painted paper and water-based paint to create an integrated surface.This is constructed and deconstructed many times; scratched, sanded, repainted, recut, until a patchwork of urban marks and worn surfaces bond together. As this collage work has developed it has become increasingly physical, moving from paper to wooden panels.

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