South African visual artist Karen Wykerd

Karen Wykerd

South Africa | 5 artworks for sale

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  • How Silent The Trees #3 - Painting by Karen Wykerd How Silent The Trees #3
    Painting / 90 x 100 cm
    R28 000
  • Bloom #8 - Embroidery Art by Karen Wykerd Bloom #8
    Embroidery Art / 60 x 60 cm
    R18 200
  • Take Me To The River #17 - Painting by Karen Wykerd Take Me To The River #17
    Painting / 32 x 44 cm
    R8 000
  • Take Me To The River #16 - Painting by Karen Wykerd Take Me To The River #16
    Painting / 32 x 44 cm
    R8 000
  • Take Me To The River #10 - Painting by Karen Wykerd Take Me To The River #10
    Painting / 26 x 37 cm
    R4 600
  • Summer Bodies #3 - Painting by Karen Wykerd
    Summer Bodies #3
    Painting / 21 x 33 cm
  • Victoria Road - Painting by Karen Wykerd
    Victoria Road
    Painting / 32 x 37 cm
  • Breathing Space #1 - Painting by Karen Wykerd
    Breathing Space #1
    Painting / 26 x 34 cm
  • Breathing Space #6 - Painting by Karen Wykerd
    Breathing Space #6
    Painting / 26 x 34 cm
  • Breathing Space #7 - Painting by Karen Wykerd
    Breathing Space #7
    Painting / 26 x 34 cm
  • Breathing Space #2 - Painting by Karen Wykerd
    Breathing Space #2
    Painting / 26 x 34 cm
  • Breathing Space #5 - Painting by Karen Wykerd
    Breathing Space #5
    Painting / 26 x 34 cm
  • Breathing Space #4 - Painting by Karen Wykerd
    Breathing Space #4
    Painting / 26 x 34 cm
  • Breathing Space #8 - Painting by Karen Wykerd
    Breathing Space #8
    Painting / 26 x 34 cm
  • Take Me To The Trees #3 - Painting by Karen Wykerd
    Take Me To The Trees #3
    Painting / 62 x 62 cm
  • Bloom #5 - Embroidery Art by Karen Wykerd
    Bloom #5
    Embroidery Art / 50 x 50 cm
  • How Silent The Trees - Painting by Karen Wykerd
    How Silent The Trees
    Painting / 72 x 64 cm
  • Breathing Space #9 - Embroidery Art by Karen Wykerd
    Breathing Space #9
    Embroidery Art / 26 x 34 cm
  • Breathing Space #3 - Painting by Karen Wykerd
    Breathing Space #3
    Painting / 26 x 34 cm
  • Camps Bay Beach #I - Painting by Karen Wykerd
    Camps Bay Beach #I
    Painting / 32 x 37 cm
  • Take Me To The Trees #4 - Painting by Karen Wykerd
    Take Me To The Trees #4
    Painting / 32 x 44 cm
  • Take Me To The River #13 - Painting by Karen Wykerd
    Take Me To The River #13
    Painting / 32 x 44 cm
  • Take Me To The River #12 - Painting by Karen Wykerd
    Take Me To The River #12
    Painting / 32 x 44 cm
  • Take Me To The River #11 - Painting by Karen Wykerd
    Take Me To The River #11
    Painting / 32 x 44 cm
  • Bloom Where You Are Planted - Embroidery Art by Karen Wykerd
    Bloom Where You Are Planted
    Embroidery Art / 26 x 26 cm
  • Take Me To The River #9 - Painting by Karen Wykerd
    Take Me To The River #9
    Painting / 26 x 37 cm
  • Camps Bay Beach #II - Painting by Karen Wykerd
    Camps Bay Beach #II
    Painting / 32 x 37 cm
  • Take Me To The River #5 - Painting by Karen Wykerd
    Take Me To The River #5
    Painting / 34 x 45 cm
  • Take Me To The River #6 - Painting by Karen Wykerd
    Take Me To The River #6
    Painting / 34 x 45 cm
  • Take Me To The River #3 - Painting by Karen Wykerd
    Take Me To The River #3
    Painting / 34 x 45 cm
  • Every Leaf Speaks Bliss To Me - Painting by Karen Wykerd
    Every Leaf Speaks Bliss To Me
    Painting / 34 x 45 cm
  • Quiet Reverie #3 - Painting by Karen Wykerd
    Quiet Reverie #3
    Painting / 42 x 42 cm
  • Nocturnal Acts #8 - Painting by Karen Wykerd
    Nocturnal Acts #8
    Painting / 34 x 34 cm
  • Quiet Reverie #6 - Painting by Karen Wykerd
    Quiet Reverie #6
    Painting / 28 x 32 cm
  • Quiet Reverie #7 - Painting by Karen Wykerd
    Quiet Reverie #7
    Painting / 28 x 32 cm
  • A Path Less Traveled - Painting by Karen Wykerd
    A Path Less Traveled
    Painting / 62 x 62 cm
  • Halcyon Days #2 - Painting by Karen Wykerd
    Halcyon Days #2
    Painting / 34 x 34 cm
  • Summer Bodies #2 - Painting by Karen Wykerd
    Summer Bodies #2
    Painting / 23 x 23 cm
  • Every Leaf - Painting by Karen Wykerd
    Every Leaf
    Painting / 30 x 36 cm
  • The Earth Has Music - Painting by Karen Wykerd
    The Earth Has Music
    Painting / 36 x 36 cm
  • Between The Hills - Painting by Karen Wykerd
    Between The Hills
    Painting / 30 x 36 cm
  • Devote This Hour To Work - Painting by Karen Wykerd
    Devote This Hour To Work
    Painting / 120 x 100 cm
  • Forest Bather #8 - Painting by Karen Wykerd
    Forest Bather #8
    Painting / 32 x 41 cm
  • Forest Bather #7 - Painting by Karen Wykerd
    Forest Bather #7
    Painting / 32 x 41 cm
  • Forest Bather #6 - Painting by Karen Wykerd
    Forest Bather #6
    Painting / 32 x 41 cm
  • Waterways - Painting by Karen Wykerd
    Waterways
    Painting / 34 x 34 cm
  • Golden Hour - Painting by Karen Wykerd
    Golden Hour
    Painting / 34 x 34 cm
  • Lost And Found - Painting by Karen Wykerd
    Lost And Found
    Painting / 62 x 62 cm
  • Forest Bathers #5 - Painting by Karen Wykerd
    Forest Bathers #5
    Painting / 34 x 34 cm
  • Urban Idyll: Companys' Garden - Painting by Karen Wykerd
    Urban Idyll: Companys' Garden
    Painting / 40 x 40 cm
  • Solitude - Painting by Karen Wykerd
    Solitude
    Painting / 30 x 30 cm
  • Forest Bather - Painting by Karen Wykerd
    Forest Bather
    Painting / 30 x 30 cm
  • 31/05/2018 @ 07:30 AM, Upper Harrington Street - Painting by Karen Wykerd
    31/05/2018 @ 07:30 AM, Upper Harrington Street
    Painting / 32 x 37 cm
  • 24/06/2017 @ 07:47 AM, Long Street - Painting by Karen Wykerd
    24/06/2017 @ 07:47 AM, Long Street
    Painting / 32 x 37 cm
  • Company's Garden - Mixed Media by Karen Wykerd
    Company's Garden
    Mixed Media / 24 x 24 cm
  • Emerald Sanctuary II - Painting by Karen Wykerd
    Emerald Sanctuary II
    Painting / 32 x 37 cm
  • Emerald Sanctuary I - Painting by Karen Wykerd
    Emerald Sanctuary I
    Painting / 32 x 37 cm
  • Nocturnal Acts VI - Painting by Karen Wykerd
    Nocturnal Acts VI
    Painting / 20 x 20 cm
  • 10/05/2019 @ 19:05 PM, Camp Road - Painting by Karen Wykerd
    10/05/2019 @ 19:05 PM, Camp Road
    Painting / 32 x 37 cm
  • 05/02/2018 @ 13:15 PM, Kalk Bay Pier - Painting by Karen Wykerd
    05/02/2018 @ 13:15 PM, Kalk Bay Pier
    Painting / 32 x 37 cm
  • Remember To Live - Painting by Karen Wykerd
    Remember To Live
    Painting / 32 x 37 cm
  • Botanica: Protea - Mixed Media by Karen Wykerd
    Botanica: Protea
    Mixed Media / 30 x 30 cm
  • Bellvue Road - Painting by Karen Wykerd
    Bellvue Road
    Painting / 70 x 80 cm
  • Make Haste; But Slowly - Painting by Karen Wykerd
    Make Haste; But Slowly
    Painting / 42 x 37 cm
  • Urban Idyll: Church Square - Painting by Karen Wykerd
    Urban Idyll: Church Square
    Painting / 28 x 38 cm
  • I Am Moved By The Light - Painting by Karen Wykerd
    I Am Moved By The Light
    Painting / 120 x 100 cm
  • Urban Idyll: Sir George Grey - Painting by Karen Wykerd
    Urban Idyll: Sir George Grey
    Painting / 28 x 38 cm
  • A Mutual Route - Painting by Karen Wykerd
    A Mutual Route
    Painting / 18 x 18 cm
  • Past, Present, Future - Painting by Karen Wykerd
    Past, Present, Future
    Painting / 18 x 18 cm
  • Harbour View - Painting by Karen Wykerd
    Harbour View
    Painting / 51 x 51 cm
  • 8:20 AM, Mill Street - Painting by Karen Wykerd
    8:20 AM, Mill Street
    Painting / 50 x 50 cm
  • 7:50 AM, Bree Street - Painting by Karen Wykerd
    7:50 AM, Bree Street
    Painting / 50 x 50 cm
  • Nocturnal Acts IV - Painting by Karen Wykerd
    Nocturnal Acts IV
    Painting / 18 x 18 cm
  • Riebeek Street - Painting by Karen Wykerd
    Riebeek Street
    Painting / 46 x 46 cm
  • Kloof Nek Road - Painting by Karen Wykerd
    Kloof Nek Road
    Painting / 46 x 46 cm
  • Camp Road - Painting by Karen Wykerd
    Camp Road
    Painting / 40 x 40 cm
  • 7:47 AM, Loop Street - Oil Painting by Karen Wykerd
    7:47 AM, Loop Street
    Oil Painting / 30 x 30 cm
  • 7:48 AM, Bree Street - Oil Painting by Karen Wykerd
    7:48 AM, Bree Street
    Oil Painting / 30 x 30 cm
  • Misty Morning Cape Town II - Cityscape Oil Painting by Karen Wykerd
    Misty Morning Cape Town II
    Cityscape Oil Painting / 160 x 75 cm
  • 11:15 AM, Woodstock  - Oil Painting by Karen Wykerd
    11:15 AM, Woodstock
    Oil Painting / 40 x 40 cm
  • 9:50 AM Kloof Nek Road - Oil Painting by Karen Wykerd
    9:50 AM Kloof Nek Road
    Oil Painting / 40 x 40 cm
  • 4:35 PM Camp Street - Oil Painting by Karen Wykerd
    4:35 PM Camp Street
    Oil Painting / 40 x 40 cm
  • 9:00 AM Bellvue Road - Oil Painting by Karen Wykerd
    9:00 AM Bellvue Road
    Oil Painting / 40 x 40 cm
  • St James - Oil Painting by Karen Wykerd
    St James
    Oil Painting / 25 x 25 cm
  • Buitengracht Street II - Oil Painting by Karen Wykerd
    Buitengracht Street II
    Oil Painting / 50 x 50 cm
  • Kloof Nek I/Bellvue - Oil Painting by Karen Wykerd
    Kloof Nek I/Bellvue
    Oil Painting / 25 x 25 cm
  • Long Street I - Oil Painting by Karen Wykerd
    Long Street I
    Oil Painting / 25 x 25 cm
  • N1 To Cape Town - Acrylic Painting by Karen Wykerd
    N1 To Cape Town
    Acrylic Painting / 25 x 25 cm
  • Camps Bay - Oil Painting by Karen Wykerd
    Camps Bay
    Oil Painting / 25 x 25 cm
  • Harrington's Cafe - Acrylic Painting by Karen Wykerd
    Harrington's Cafe
    Acrylic Painting / 25 x 25 cm
  • Misty Morning - Oil Painting by Karen Wykerd
    Misty Morning
    Oil Painting / 100 x 90 cm
  • Long Street - Oil Painting by Karen Wykerd
    Long Street
    Oil Painting / 60 x 60 cm
  • Kloof Nek III - Oil Painting by Karen Wykerd
    Kloof Nek III
    Oil Painting / 60 x 60 cm
  • Strand Street - Acrylic Painting by Karen Wykerd
    Strand Street
    Acrylic Painting / 25 x 25 cm
  • Buitengracht Riebeek Street - Oil Painting by Karen Wykerd
    Buitengracht Riebeek Street
    Oil Painting / 25 x 25 cm
  • Kloof Nek II - Oil Painting by Karen Wykerd
    Kloof Nek II
    Oil Painting / 25 x 25 cm
  • Kalk Bay - Acrylic Painting by Karen Wykerd
    Kalk Bay
    Acrylic Painting / 25 x 25 cm
  • De Waal Drive - Acrylic Painting by Karen Wykerd
    De Waal Drive
    Acrylic Painting / 25 x 25 cm
Karen Wykerd is a Cape Town-based artist who works across a range of media. Using embroidery and painting - on canvas, paper or glass – she combines dissolution with detail, to express her ongoing fascination with everyday city life.
From her easel she explores both urban and natural environments, constantly in pursuit of light. Her endless search takes her down busy streets, forest paths and high above the city. Captured first in photography and then in pigment or thread, her understated scenes are defined and transformed by light. Each individual brushstroke or stitch reveals the ever-evolving interaction between sunlight and shadow. For Wykerd, a city is a place whose energy materialises in the meeting point of such dualities - concrete and trees, grids and the flow of water, rhythm and stillness, control and chance.
Process is an important part of the work. While Wykerd’s considered mark-making is meditative, the slow layering of brushstrokes, combined with translucent washes of soft colour, allow her to depict light in all its changing qualities. There are also elements of serendipity at play, acknowledging the necessity of exploring the unfamiliar in order to gain insight.
Wykerd’s work is a quiet reverie. Whether she depicts a dappled pool, a shaded street or golden beach, the muted scenes she captures are calm oases amid the distractions of contemporary living. Her translucent washes of verdant colour around figures swimming, strolling and floating create scenes of immersion in nature. By including such figures in her work, she invites her audience to share her vision. The dreamily indistinct backgrounds and tranquil palette combine to give us moments of rest and reflection where we can be reacquainted with nature, and our selves.

Karen Wykerd graduated in 1982 from the Johannesburg College of Art with a Graphic Design Diploma, followed by a number of years spent working in the Advertising Industry. She has painted full time since 2008.

Selected Exhibitions

2024
Group Exhibition - The Shipping Forecast - StateoftheART Gallery, Cape Town

2023
Group Exhibition - Heaven & Earth - StateoftheART Gallery, Cape Town

2021
Group Exhibition: "Genius Loci" at StateoftheART, Cape Town
Group Exhibition: "Bud" at RK Contemporary, Riebeek Kasteel

2019
Solo Exhibition “ Exhale” the Studio Gallery,  Simons Town
Solo Exhibition “Uncharted Territory”  at StateoftheART Gallery, Cape Town
Group Exhibition “ Eco-Awards” at  The Studio Art Gallery, Simons Town

2018
Group Exhibition “ Blocks “ at Art B Gallery, Durbanville, Western Cape
Group Exhibition “ Super Nature " at StateoftheART Gallery, Cape Town
Group Exhibition “ Botanica”  at Art B Gallery, Durbanville

2017
Group Exhibition at 99 Loop, Cape Town
Group Exhibition “ 50/50”  at DF Contemporary Gallery, Cape Town
Group Exhibition “ Stream of consciousness”  at Liebrecht gallery, Somerset West

2016
Group Exhibition “ Winter Life “- The Studio Art Gallery, Simons Town
Group Exhibition  at 99 Loop Gallery, Cape Town

2015
Group Exhibition “Scapes" - StateoftheART Gallery.
Group Exhibition “Cape Of Good Hope" at 99 Loop Gallery
That Art Fair, Cape Town

Which new trends or South African artists do you find inspiring at the moment?
Trends: I love the fact that embroidery, which has its roots in antiquity, is now gaining interest in the art scene. This timeless craft has been re-energized by visionary artists who push the boundary of its meaning and limits.
Artists: Kate Gottens poolside paintings, for her vibrant colour combinations and the use of unexpected perspective which allow her works to maintain a certain sense of excitement in the “everyday”.
Ruby Swiney’s vibrant monochromatic large scaled paintings.
Katharine Spindler’s deeply emotive paintings that display her skillful depiction of light and shadow.
Peter Eastman’s monochromatic hyper-realistic oils on aluminium are phenomenal.

Which South African deceased artist do you most admire and why?
Jacob Pierneef for his modernist and geometric style which revolutionized South African art. His iconic landscapes have a wonderful stillness, devoid of human life and saturated with dramatic light and colour of the highveld.

If you could only have one piece of art in your life, what would it be?
That is difficult as ones taste changes over the years. Currently, and keeping it local, I would love to own any of the following, “Luncheon on the Grass” by Debra Poynton; “Cold Stream VII” by Peter Eastman; “Bromide Beach” by Kate Gottens; or any of Caryn Scrimgeour’s work.

Pick three artists who you would be honored to exhibit with – and why
I think it is important that there is a sense of synergy within an exhibition so for that reason I would be honored to exhibit with any of the following artists (the first three I’ve already had the privilege of exhibiting with in the past) Laurel Holmes, Joanne Reen, Catherine Ocholla, MJ Lourens, Janet Dirkson, Joshua Miles.

How did you get started? Did you always want to be an artist?
Growing up, the arts and creative activities were always encouraged in our household. I studied Graphic Design at Johannesburg College of Art and after graduating I worked in the advertising industry for a number of years. I was fortunate enough to attend art lessons with Ann Lindsell-Stewart and under her tutorship the passion for painting flourished. I started painting full time around 2008.

What are some of the key themes you explore in your work?
-The urban landscape: I view the city as a stage on which daily acts significant or insignificant are played out.
-The quiet spaces within the city, monuments and gardens and verdant oases where one can reflect and commune with nature.
-Figures: swimming, strolling floating, immersed in nature.

What should people know about your art that they can’t tell from looking at it?
That my subject matter is mostly inspired from my daily commute in and around the city or from my morning walks. It often takes me a little longer to get to my studio as I am prone to ‘chase the light,’ just to capture the harbour or city at that specific moment. Needless to say, I have found amazing vantage points from which to do this and at the same time discovered more of this beautiful city that I call home.  

Tell us more about your creative process.
I almost always have a clear idea of what I intend to paint and make use of my vast photographic reference files. I start by laying thin washes of paint on the surface as I find a blank white canvas quite daunting, this process often requires a few layers to achieve the desired effect. Loose compositional lines and shadow areas follow, detail is then added while retaining the loose expressive happenings in the underpainting which is important in my attempts to move towards more abstraction. I work on a few paintings at the same time resulting in small cohesive bodies of work, either through the subject matter or colour palette. I enjoy experimenting with different media and surfaces with the desire to move towards a more multi-disciplined art practice. I love embroidery as this quiet and intricate art form is not only therapeutic but also satisfies my love of detail.

Do you believe an artist should use their platform to influence society? Why?
Although acknowledging that throughout history art has played a role in influencing society, I don’t feel that artists should feel compelled to create work for that purpose only, as art can be equally significant and relevant purely for its aesthetics.

Do you have a favourite or most meaningful work?
I have a few that I felt were successful and I really enjoyed creating them as I felt that they just flowed. I am mindful of the need to grow as an artist and therefore always feel that there is a better piece waiting to emerge from the wings.

What is your greatest achievement as an artist to date?
 It would have to be my debut solo I had in June 2019 followed by another solo in November 2019, a huge amount of work but a great sense of achievement.

What are your aspirations for the future?
To continue exploring new media, experimenting and ultimately enjoying the process of making art.

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