About Me

I'm based in Perthshire, Scotland, originally from Hampshire. I first visited Scotland in 2002 and was instantly inspired by the amazing landscapes and wildlife.

I have grown up with dogs; my family have always had West Highland Terriers. I got my first dog, a Labrador called Corbie, in 2004.  Corbie has been my artistic inspiration and my walls are covered with various paintings and drawings of him that I have done. 

Surrounded by dogs, it was only natural for me to find a great interest in pet portraits. It is important to me to capture the personality and a good likeness of the pets that I draw. When I achieve this with my own dog’s portraits, I know how much it means to my customers to be able to also see their pet in their artwork also.

Since Corbie came into our lives, Labradors have become a speciality of mine.  I’m sure Corbie thinks at times ‘Oh, no, not another portrait of me on the wall’!

I also enjoy drawing cartoons. I've been drawing cartoons for years, starting with hedgehog characters, then sheep and now pets (or anything else for that matter). I get asked to create some funny scenarios which can be a challenge, but make each cartoon commission a very unique and personal piece of fun artwork.

When I'm not busy working on the pet side of the art, I like to work on wildlife art and this can be seen on my other site www.karen-hartnell.co.uk The rare White-Tailed Sea Eagle is an interest of mine and I’ve been lucky enough to see them in the wild. Other rare sights have been otters and golden eagles. I especially love the areas of the North West of Scotland - Skye, Lochalsh, Wester Ross, Assynt and I try and get over to those parts when I can.

I enjoy hiking, wildlife watching and photography. I have a blog dedicated to the Nature, Wildlife & Landscapes of Scotland, where I keep a photographic record of my sightings and places visited.

I’m hoping, as my portfolio grows, to start exhibiting work (something I’ve done in the past on a few occasions) and producing prints for sale.

I hope you enjoy looking at my work.