Karen Bezuidenhout

Santa Barbara based artist, Karen Bezuidenhout, was born and raised in the wine country of Stellenbosch, South Africa. It was there that her lifelong love of nature, riding horses and sense of adventure began.

Sketching and drawing throughout her life, she joined a small art school situated in an old wine cellar, after being consumed by a desire to paint. That was in 1996. In 1999, Karen relocated with her family to California. She attended a course in color and painting at the College of Marin, and soon after, moved to Santa Barbara.

Her rich, earthy palette of chocolate browns, olive, crimson, and ochre, drawn from her life in Africa, is now complimented with vibrant blues and greens from the ocean, reflecting her California lifestyle. Her subject matter ranges from horses, trees, birds, and landscapes, to lovers, beaches, and sailboats and is a tapestry of her experiences and imagination. Her paintings are featured in Robert Redford’s Sundance Catalog and can be found in the homes of celebrities and collectors around the world.

Karen paints mostly in acrylic and mixed media at her Santa Barbara studio, surrounded by her dogs, listening to Van Morrison.

“I paint from my heart. My paintings are about love.”

Please note these paintings are examples of her work and not always what’s available in the store.