Karen Walters

Karen is a contemporary NZ sculptor of Maori and European descent. Her connection to whenua is fundamental to the direction of her work. She seeks to creatively reflect the energy and essence of life forms and lines within the NZ landscape while offering narratives on human nature. Sculpting in both bronze and native timber, Karen carefully selects resilient hard wood for dimensional manipulation and enjoys employing the art of lost wax casting to create beautifully crafted bronze pieces.
Following on from attaining a Bachelor of Education Degree from Auckland University, Karen gained a qualification in Graphic Design at AUT before moving to Australia and completing a Visual Arts Degree at James Cook University, in her final year achieving Top Sculpture Award 2002. After this, Karen spent 3 years teaching Art and Senior Design at Diocesan School for Girls where she became Head of the Senior Design Department. Karen then went on to pursue a full time career in art and has remained a full time artist since 2006, regularly exhibiting nationally and internationally.
In 2011 she moved to Nelson with her family. It was at this time that she and her husband Mike (a manufacturing jeweller) started up Kereru Gallery in the seaside town of Mapua, which they ran successfully for 10 years. Here they produced and exhibited their own work alongside work from an outstanding selection of artists from around NZ. Skipping forward to today… in 2021 Karen and Mike felt it was time to return to family in the North Island, and so (in a nut shell) they have moved into a native bush enhanced spot in Sandspit where Karen produces commission and exhibition work from her workshop spaces onsite.
Karen’s skillfully honed sculptures are valued for their aesthetic balance and soulful depth, they have found their way into homes, offices, personal and public collections across Aotearoa and throughout the world.