Karen Standke

Throughout my life as a painter, the main focus of my work has been on landscapes.

I have traveled extensively within Australia and around the world, particularly to more remote regions, in an attempt to capture the physical world and our place in it.

My paintings reflect my travels, which over the past 12 years have included various regions in Australia and the Indian Subcontinent, New Zealand, Japan and the Austrian Alps, where I spent my childhood.

While initially commenting on the influence of the vast natural environment on people, my work has shifted towards exploring the impact of humans on these landscapes.

This theme is expressed subtly in my paintings, for example, by juxtaposing scenes of remote landscapes with a foreground fencepost or bush road.

Ideally in my role as a painter I try to begin each piece as a passive observer but by sharing my perception as the panting takes shape, I also communicate and comment on the environment that I see and how it affects me.

It is essential for me to work on site. I like to spend time researching local history and culture before I define the general topic of the series I am creating.

In this way I try to be authentic in capturing the nature of the region and its context globally and personally.

I have exhibited internationally for the last 12 years, and my work is held in private collections in Austria, Australia, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Japan, India, USA and New Zealand.