Karen Barbouttis Australian , b. Sydney
Karen Barbouttis's art practice has been a natural development from her years working in cartoon animation and illustration.
While completing a degree in Psychology, Karen sought employment at the Hanna Barbera Studios in Sydney where she was trained in animation, as an animator. This was a field in which she continued to work over the next twenty-five years, working in various studios in both Sydney and Melbourne, such as The Disney Studios, Yoram Gross Studios, Burbank, Unlimited Energee, Energee Entertainment, and Mickey Duck Studios. Karen also worked in concept art, creating and designing both finished art and merchandise for companies in the United States, such as Harveytoons, Warner Brothers, and Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus. Working in book illustration, one of her collaborations with Dr Sandra Cabot resulted in a series of books that made the best selling lists across Australia.
After completing a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree at the National Art School, Sydney, in 2010, she made the decision to make drawing her principal choice of medium.
Soon after graduating she won the prestigious Adelaide Perry Prize for drawing in Sydney, Australia with a work titled "Weekly Reports: Drawings from the Museum of Life". This work took the form of an old ledger sourced from a second-hand shop in which Barbouttis drew museum specimens of animals. The work was then presented to the audience mounted on a timber lectern giving the whole work a sense of being an antique treasure.
Following on from that success she continued to work with the theme of animals making drawn research studies in situ to provide her with information to take back to her studio where she makes larger precise drawings of her subject.
Karen's current work explores Life and Death, drawing the animals she encounters in her every day life, whether it be the birds she passes in her daily walk down to the local shops in Rose Bay, Australia, the museum specimens in the Museum of Natural History in New York or the stray dogs of Greece lounging in the Winter sun in Syntagma Square, Athens.
ALL LIFE MATTERS
"I draw what I see".
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
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
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
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