HOME - Spring 2025
Major update and overhaul to my clinky,clunky website coming soon, but hope you'll still enjoy looking at my pretty pictures!!!
Exhibitions, Sketching Workshops and demonstrations in Stamford and London and much more - details below!
From the Top of 55 Broadway in lovely London © Karen Neale, watercolour artist Stamford/London
This wonderful view from the top of 55 Broadway in lovely London marked the start for me being artist in residence in summer 2024 at the former London Transport Building working with the Charity Integrity International Trust (IIT) and Blue Orchid Hospitality.
Delightful daffodils and harbingers of hope! © Karen Neale, watercolour artist Stamford and London
Challenging times, globally, personally,.... so drawing these little harbingers of hope as quick sketch demonstrations in my workshop at magical Mindspace last week was good to do. It was a packed session and everyone as always produced awesome sketches.
So if you are in Stamford, be it doubting doodler or a drawing diva, come and enjoy some soul soothing scribbling and sketching at my sketching workshops. See below under ‘Events’ for further details.
And if you are in London bring a sketchbook and pen or pencil for a free workshop I’m leading at the Mall Galleries 2-4pm on Wednesday 12th March. I am doing this as part of the annual SGFA exhibition there from 10th - 15th March. It would be lovely to see you there sketching! And this year I’’m bringing Stamford to London and exhibiting this painting - 'Stamford All Around'.
Brilliant Broadway! © Karen Neale, watercolour artist Stamford/London
Staying in London it is a joy to continue being artist in residence at the former London Transport Building working with the Integrity International Trust and Blue Orchid Hospitality. So when you are next passing through St. James’s Park Tube Station, take a moment to enjoy the wonderful original details of this iconic building that was one of London’s first ‘skyscrapers’ almost 100 years ago.
From floor 10 of 55 Broadway © Karen Neale, watercolour artist London
Coming back to Stamford it’s time for another FREE, fun fabulous family event at Stamford Arts Centre, where I will be leading the community quest to create another opulent ocean! So swim on in from 11am – 4pm on Saturday 15th March! All deep sea doodlers and diving divas welcome! Staying in the Arts centre it was great to have two of my Stamford views as the backdrops to the Mother Goose Pantomime which was fabulously funny and a sumptuous success…...and I’m delighted to be involved with the scenery again for this year’s Panto, oh yes I am!
And finally for now, my paintings travel to many corners of the World and this week my painting of the Town Hall ‘From Stamford with Love and Hope’ was presented by the Deputy Mayor Amanda and Town Councillor Yvette to a lovely film producer from Ukraine who is returning with the painting to her home town twinned with Stamford. May Love and hope find that path to peace there and other areas of our weary warring world.
Please do contact me if you'd like to talk about a commission or illustration project, or want more information about any of the above or just want to say hello! Continue below for more information on my forthcoming events and about 'me and my work'. You can also see what I'm up to on Facebook.
© Karen Neale, watercolour artist Stamford and London
EVENTS Spring 2025
• Annual SGFA exhibition at the Mall Galleries from 10th - 15th March. Free sketching workshop with me 2-4pm on Wednesday 12th March!
• Opulent Oceans family workshop at Stamford Arts Centre 11am - 4pm on Saturday 15th March
• Stamford Sketching Workshops - contact me to join Monday morning sessions (10–12.30) - based at the Stamford Arts Centre . Cost is £15 per session - tea and biscuits included! I confirm sessions on the Friday before each session.
• Mindspace sketching sessions based at the Mindspace Hub on Broad Street. from 10am – 11.30am on alternate Wednesdays. Mindspace encourages the improvement of mental health & well-being for all in and around Stamford. Book here to join sessions. They are FREE, though a donation is always very welcome!
Angel detail, Peterborough Cathedral
© Karen Neale, watercolour artist London
View from Platform 1 of Blackfriars Station, London, June 2019
© Karen Neale, watercolour artist London
A wonderful commission from 2019 for Rules - the oldest restaurant in London, see Rules Restaurant’s new menu below.
Menu Illustration for Rules Restaurant, London, July 2019
© Karen Neale, watercolour artist London
View from the Top of Millbank Tower, London
© Karen Neale, watercolour artist London
There's more about 'me and my work' below and on the other pages, and from other perspectives, here are a couple of press articles from Wanderlust Travel Magazine, Frost magazine and The Culture Trip - though there is a slight error in that I never had time to see Downtown Abbey or Doctor Who - just Danger Mouse with my son!
Her late Majesty The Queen was the patron of the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust, now Churchill Fellowship. Being awarded a Fellowship not only enabled me to undertake a journey of a lifetime, it also opened so many doors to wonderful opportunities in my subsequent work. Churchill Fellowship applications open annually around September each year and categories are always changing, so if you are a British Citizen and passionate about your subject- it could be for you!
Reception at Buckingham Palace on March 18th 2015 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Sir Winston's living legacy - the Churchill Fellowship
Karen Neale Art: 'Me and my Work'
That's me braving the winds racing across Waterloo Bridge. My passion is sketching and painting the world around me in my annotated sketchbook diaries. I stand ‘in situ’ and draw with an ordinary black biro as much as I can of what is going on around me in my book. Then, I add colour with my small field box of watercolours. The notes I make around the perimeter are observations I’ve made whilst I’ve been sketching. It is a great privilege and pleasure to simply spend time in a place and draw, and it is a wonderful way to get to know a place and its people.
San Gimignano,Italy
© Karen Neale, Watercolour Artist London
Avignon, France,
© Karen Neale, Watercolour Artist London
Havana,Cuba © Karen Neale, World heritage artist London
Closer to home I continued the World Heritage theme with a community project along Hadrian’s Wall. Then in London, I was privileged to sketch in and around the Palace of Westminster and was artist in residence at the Athenaeum Club in 2004. Rather auspiciously I was appointed ‘MCC Young Cricket Artist for 2005’, based at Lord’s Cricket Ground, and subsequently artist in residence at The Queen’s Club for the 2007 tennis season.
Cley-next-the-Sea, Norfolk, © Karen Neale, watercolour artist London
please click on the image below to see a larger picture
The Old Highbury Ground, Arsenal, London © Karen Neale, watercolour artist London
please click on the image below to see a larger picture
In October 2006 my first London sketchbook diary was published by Methuen, entitled ‘London in Landscape’ with Winston Churchill’s daughter, Lady Soames generously writing the foreword. In 2009 ‘London in Landscape Volume II’ was launched with an exhibition of my paintings in the Barbican Centre, London. Both books are available through Methuen, Amazon, and me. Since 2010 I have resided in Stamford in Lovely Lincolnshire. In 2011, Walkers, Stamford’s local bookshop published my Stamford sketchbook. And now in 2015 A Fellow Traveller!
Broad Street Market from Browne's Hospital on Market Day, Stamford
© Karen Neale, watercolour artist London
These books have been a real labour of love for me as I’ve been out in all weathers, on tops of buildings, along the streets, in various wonderful institutions, sports grounds, churches and cathedrals, markets, museums and so on. It is an utterly uplifting experience to be able to just sit and draw in a place and become a part of that place for a few hours. If you would like to contact me for further information, please click here to e-mail or call me on
07710 406967
I hope you enjoy looking around the website!
Karen Neale Art
Watercolour Artist London and Stamford.
World Heritage Artist, London
