Karen Humpage Art

Karen Humpage Art House & garden portraits from photos, landscapes of North Essex. Commissions welcome!

I started this over a year ago but for some reason it never got finished. Until now! Halstead River Walk in the spring.
13/04/2026

I started this over a year ago but for some reason it never got finished. Until now! Halstead River Walk in the spring.

A labour of love, I've painted this majestic lime tree as seen from our bedroom window in Halstead. I enjoy watching it ...
04/04/2026

A labour of love, I've painted this majestic lime tree as seen from our bedroom window in Halstead. I enjoy watching it change throughout the seasons, but the starkness of its branches and the clusters of mistletoe visible only in winter make it a most interesting thing to paint. Sorry if it's a bit dull, but I like subdued tones sometimes! Red Kites circling overhead, hopefully nesting again this year.
Watercolour, 13"×17".

Time to put this one away for a bit. I find I can spot mistakes or incomplete areas much better after I haven't seen it ...
08/03/2026

Time to put this one away for a bit. I find I can spot mistakes or incomplete areas much better after I haven't seen it for a while. I think I've finished but who knows?

Work in progress II. Time to start on the foreground soon....
06/03/2026

Work in progress II. Time to start on the foreground soon....

I wondered why I've had zero sales from Etsy this year. With AI/digital house portraits in abundance and at a fraction o...
05/03/2026

I wondered why I've had zero sales from Etsy this year. With AI/digital house portraits in abundance and at a fraction of the cost I cannot compete with this. 😩

Work in progress - Congregation House from the woodland - this one's going to be tricky getting the balance right in tre...
01/03/2026

Work in progress - Congregation House from the woodland - this one's going to be tricky getting the balance right in tree cover!

Commissions have been quiet lately so I've been busying myself with my own choice of painting. As our local woodland (co...
26/02/2026

Commissions have been quiet lately so I've been busying myself with my own choice of painting. As our local woodland (complete with air raid shelters) is under threat from development again, I am making an effort to record some of it in paint.

I hope you like my painting of the Victorian folly behind the funeral directors in Halstead High Street. I feel compelle...
07/02/2026

I hope you like my painting of the Victorian folly behind the funeral directors in Halstead High Street. I feel compelled to paint parts of Halstead that are increasingly coming under threat of development.
After seeing a draft of the Local Plan for Halstead (including a bypass) much of our immediate natural landscape will be under threat if it all goes ahead. I guess I'm going to be busy!😩

Amongst a flurry of little house portraits I did for Christmas this larger painting stands out as one of my favourites. ...
27/12/2025

Amongst a flurry of little house portraits I did for Christmas this larger painting stands out as one of my favourites. Old cottages and mill house in Mill Chase, Halstead. The octagonal building on the left used to have a windmill on top of it.

One of the most satisfying jobs I've ever had has been to work at The Rowley Gallery for 10 years. A picture framers and...
17/11/2025

One of the most satisfying jobs I've ever had has been to work at The Rowley Gallery for 10 years. A picture framers and gallery founded in 1895, it is one of the last truly bespoke framers in London.
Unlike most framers, who obtain their mouldings ready-finished, they create frames from the bare wood upwards. It is a slower, more long-winded process, but one that allows frames to be created exactly to the customer's requirements using traditional methods - any finish, any moulding. If you want a blue frame with pink spots on they can do it.
I learnt many practical skills there including frame restoration, gilding and glass cutting, worked with some amazing people and got to see some wonderful artworks up close. Unfortunately my move to Halstead meant commuting to Kensington every day was just not possible, though I do go back there once a month to do a few specialised jobs as they come in.
Visit their website for more info, and they have a lovely blog page.
www.rowleygallery.com

Another house portrait off the drawing board, this time a holiday home in Derbyshire.
07/11/2025

Another house portrait off the drawing board, this time a holiday home in Derbyshire.

Funny how the paintings you think will sell don't, and the unexpected ones do.....weekend Art Exhibition at Earls Colne
26/10/2025

Funny how the paintings you think will sell don't, and the unexpected ones do.....
weekend Art Exhibition at Earls Colne

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