Leading African wildlife artist has connections with the Westcountry
Leading African wildlife artist has connections with the Westcountry
0 Comments | Western Morning News, The, Jul 27, 2010 | by TONY LANGFORD
That the work of one of Kenya’s leading wildlife artists should be exhibited at a gallery in Cornwall is perhaps not surprising, because Karen Laurence-Rowe is married to a Cor nishman.
Karen and her husband Ian Rowe live in Kenya but keep a house in Falmouth to use as a base when in Britain. It was there that I recently caught up with them. The interview took place in a room with a large picture window that frames a breathtaking view over the rooftops and docks to the harbour and the Roseland Peninsula.
Born in Uganda in 1958, Karen led a nomadic childhood. Her father, George Good, was a civil engineer, carving roads in sweeping African landscapes teeming with game. As he moved from job to job, his family moved with him, so Karen lived for periods in many countries in east Africa.
“We often lived in little wooden houses, raised off the ground and standing on a concrete base,” she says. “It was not unusual to have lions in the garden or leopards under the house. I think that is where I got my love for wildlife.”
At first Karen had an unconventional schooling, but at the age of ten was sent to a boarding school in Lincolnshire.
“I hated it,” she recalls. “Most of the other girls were aged 11 and upwards and I felt out of place and uncomfortable. I think they found me, a girl from the bush, rather strange.”
When her parents split up, Karen went to live in what was then Rhodesia with her mother. It was at the time of the Rhodesian Bush War, a period she describes as “very unsettling”.
Karen did attend art school in South Africa but dropped out after two years. “I have no artistic qualifications and am largely self- taught,” she says.
Starting work as a graphic designer in the advertising business, she began to undertake commissions of pet dogs, horses and portraits simply to earn some extra money. Eventually, she moved back to Kenya, which is where she met Ian.
Ian was born in Falmouth, moving to nearby Penryn with his family when he was nine
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