In 2011, Karen Barbouttis entered her first art competition, The Adelaide Perry Prize for Drawing, and was announced the Winner for 2011. Since then, she participated in both Solo and Group exhibitions in various galleries, in both Australia and Greece, as well as group exhibitions as finalist in various art competitions.

Karen works on antiquarian navigational charts, bringing them to life with exquisitely detailed pencil drawings of endangered animals pertaining to the area.

Fading Existence III

Many residents of the Woollahra Municipality would be familiar with the large anchor at The Gap, Watsons Bay, a memorial to the unidentified victims of the wreck of the ship the Dunbar. With a loss of 121 passengers and crew, and only one survivor, it is one of Australia’s worst maritime disasters when it was driven into the reef at the foot of South Head on the evening of 20th of August,1857. The vessel was owned by Duncan Dunbar and one of a fleet of 52 vessels that travelled from England during the Industrial Revolution. Duncan Dunbar was one the most successful British entrepreneurs during this period that travelled the world for trade. Michael Rhodes, a relative of the Dunbar family, was writing a book, “Duncan Dunbar and the age of Sail”, and in his research discovered and gifted a treasure trove of maritime maps dating from the early 1800’s, used by the Dunbar captains. Some were so rare they were donated to the Royal Navy to fill the gaps in their collection, others were restored and hung in a private museum in Malaysia, and others were offered to me for the purpose of giving them an extended life as artwork. These maps are original, the paper fragile, complete with captains’ plots and markings. I chose to honour the flora and fauna native to the regions. My drawings are images that work to the beauty of the markings of the maps. They also look to the monument of the anchor at The Gap, the shipwreck, the lost lives from the Age of Sail, and the amazing explorations and map making that the Dunbar line created. Also, an awareness of the diverse animal and plant life of these regions that still exist but are sadly declining at an ever increasing rate, not just to climate change, but to poaching, the illegal wildlife trade, and land and habitat destruction.

Karen is available for commissions

Curriculum Vitae

Education

2010 Bachelor of Fine Arts (Painting Major), National Art School, Sydney
1985 Bachelor of Arts (Psychology Major), University of NSW, Sydney

Professional Experience

2000-2009 Illustration, Signum Graphics, Sydney
1999-2000 Character Design, Concept and Finished Art, Website Animation, Energee Entertainment, Sydney
!995-98 Illustration and Book Illustration, Signum Graphics, Sydney.
Book Illustration, Murray David Publishing, Sydney
Concept Art and Finished Illustration, VB Concepts, Sydney
1993-94 Cartoon Animation, The Disney studios, Sydney
1991 Cartoon Animation, Unlimited Energee, Sydney
1990 Storyboards, Character design, Animation, Yoram Gross Studios, Sydney
Illustration and Cartoon Animation, Burbank Studios, Sydney
Tee- Shirt design, Everything Australian Stores, Sydney
1989 Cartoon Animation, Mickey Duck Studios, Melbourne
1978-1988 Cartoon Animation, Hanna Barbera Studios, Sydney

Exhibitions

2024 Fading Existence III at Art2Muse Gallery, Woollahra, Sydney
2023 Fading Existence II at Art2Muse Gallery, Woollahra, Sydney
2022 Nautical Maps for Michael Rhodes book launch, Art2Muse Gallery, Woollahra, Sydney
2020 Art2Muse Gallery, Double Bay, Sydney
2018 Art2Muse Gallery, Double Bay, Sydney
2017 Art2Muse Gallery, Double Bay, Sydney
2016 Art2Muse Gallery, Double Bay, Sydney
2015 Art2Muse Gallery, Double Bay, Sydney
2015 “Lemnos – the Greek Dimension in the Anzac Centenary”, an Exhibition presented by the Embassy of Greece in Australia, Canberra.
2015 “In Red – 100 years from the Battle of Gallipoli” . Ochra Gallery, Thessoloniki, Greece.
2014 “Creatures”. Solo exhibition, S.G. art gallery, Athens, Greece.
2014 “Adelaide Perry Prize for Drawing”. PLC Sydney.
2013 “Sydney Childrens Hospital Spring Exhibition”. Sydney Childrens Hospital, Randwick.
2013 Flanagan Art Prize, Ballarat.
2013 “Flora and Fauna”. Syndicate at Danks, Sydney
2013 Wilson Visual Arts Award, Lismore
2013 “St Spyridon College The Arts Exhibition 2013”. Invited Artist, Sydney
2013 Waverly Art Prize, Bondi-Waverly School of Arts, Sydney
2013 “All Creatures Great and Small”.Solo exhibition, Art2Muse, Sydney.
2013 “Nurturing Hellenic Heritage the Australian Way”. Hellenic Lyceum Sydney, Parliament House, Sydney.
2013 “Adelaide Perry Prize for Drawing”. PLC, Sydney
2012 “The Mortimore Prize”. Sydney.
2012 “arc Yinnar Biennial Art Prize”.
2012 “Hunters hill Art Exhibition”. Sydney
2012 “Animals Exhibition”. Syndicate at Danks, Sydney
2012 “Drawings from The Animal Walk”. St Vincents Hospital, Sydney.
2012 “BSG Works on Paper Prize”. Fitzroy.
2012 Adelaide Perry Prize for Drawing
2011 “Drawings from The Museum of Life”. St Vincents Hospital, Sydney.
2011 “Adelaide Perry Prize for Drawing”. PLC, Sydney.
2010 “Selected Student Graduate drawing Exhibition”. National Art School, Sydney.
2010 National Art School Graduate Show, Sydney.
2009 “Exhibition of Selected Student Sketchbooks”. Stairwell gallery, National Art School, Sydney.
2009 “A Week on Cockatoo.”, Selected Student Work from the National Art School, Cockatoo Island, Sydney

Selected Collections

National Art School Student Collection, Sydney
Pymble Ladies College, Sydney
St Vincents Hospital, Sydney
Commissions and Private collections

Awards

2025 Finalist, Adelaide Perry Prize for Drawing
2014 Finalist, Adelaide Perry Prize for Drawing
2013 Finalist, Flanagan Art Prize
2013 Finalist, Wilson Visual Art Award
2013 Finalist, Waverly Art Prize
2013 Finalist, Adelaide Perry Prize for Drawing
2012 Finalist, Highly Commended, arc Yinnar Biennial Drawing Prize
2012 Finalist, The Mortimore Art Prize
2012 Finalist, Commended, Hunters Hill Art Prize
2012 Finalist, BSG Works on paper prize
2012 Finalist, Adelaide Perry Prize for Drawing
2011 Winner, Adelaide Perry Prize for Drawing

Bibliography

2014 The K- magazine, September. Athens,
2014 clickatlife.gr, October. Athens
2014 Athinorama, October. Athens
2014 Art22.gr,October, Athens.
2014 artandlife.gr, October. Athens.
2014 artmag.gr, October. Athens.
2013 The Cosmos Newspaper, April. Sydney.
2011 Art Monthly, #238, April. Sydney.
2011 Australian Art Collector, February
2011 Imprint Magazine, Winter, Vol 46, Number 2. Sydney