Artists of the Illawarra

Sometimes I need to go hunting for another interesting and talented artist to bring to the attention of readers. This time a reader, who identifies with a disability and is supported by the NDIS, brought Karen Hook to my attention. The reader praised Karen, saying she had changed her world view on art.

The NDIS has been a magnificent turning point in moving Australia towards true inclusion. On its own, NDIS does little, but in concert with someone like Karen it has been truly enabling for the first one and now four people who are thriving with the help of Karen and her capacity to liberate them through and into the world of art.

Yes, Karen is an artist who loves to not only create her own art – through drawing, painting and photography, often as overlapping mixed media –but she also thrives on teaching “art making” to others. Karen’s work with people living with disability and the NDIS has had rave reviews from those who’ve had the chance to create with her.

Karen has just cause to be proud of both her art-making and art teaching. She lectured at Wollongong University for 15 years and is currently an art teacher and a practising artist living in the Illawarra. Her works have been selected as finalists in many awards, including EMSLA, Project Gallery Still Life (2021 runner-up) Flow, Fishers Ghost and Waverley. Her work has been included in group shows at Wollongong Art Gallery, Parliament House and Project Contemporary Artspace, to name a few. Her work is also in numerous private collections. Karen returned from the East MacDonnell Ranges in 2022 and an Art Residency in France in 2019.

Karen was recently part of an exhibition by members of the Illawarra Association of Visual Arts at Clifton School of Arts. This month, her life paintings will appear in a figurative group show at Project Gallery 90 in Paddington.

Karen’s painting Sewing Room Red Envelope and green cellotape, 2022 was one of Amber Creswell Bell’s “ACB Selects” in the 2022 National Emerging Artist Prize. She was one of only 39 artists from 1500 entries to be selected. A great honour.

Karen can be contacted via khook1964@gmail. com or Instagram @karenhookartist

To be featured, write to Edith at mcnallyedith@gmail.com