Meet Karenza Jackson

Karenza Jackson lives in Suffolk and works from her studio in the garden which in recent years was converted from an old outbuilding. She gained an art foundation diploma which she completed at the Colchester School of Art in 1994. Whilst there, apart from painting and drawing, she discovered printmaking. She has been a member of the Gainsborough's House Print Workshop for many years.

She also has a BA Honours Degree in Fine Art from Suffolk College/UEA completed in 2005. During her time there, amongst other things, she investigated portraiture, working in various media including plaster. This lead to an amazing opportunity to paint the well known DJ John Peel and his wife Sheila.

After her degree, she continued to experiment and develop her work, underpinning it with printmaking and regular life drawing sessions in Sudbury.

Drawing and keeping sketchbooks is part of her working practice which goes towards developing finished work. A variety of different media play a part, with emphasis on line, texture and colour. Much of her work consists of monotypes which are one off prints with an edition of just one. In essence they are a paintings made with a comprehensive armoury of printmaking techniques and use of collage. She also works in a variety of other media, including painting and she something that she really enjoys is the crossover between different media. Being of a contemporary and mainly representational nature, much of her work takes her on an experimental journey, moving it forward and keeping it fresh.

She exhibits her work mainly in and around East Anglia in a variety of venues. She is a member of local art societies and groups, such as the Colchester Art Society.

Complementing her studio practice, Karenza has also run a comprehensive programme of creative workshops for many years, teaching adults, children and groups with special needs in Suffolk and Essex.

WORKSHOPS & RESIDENCES

In 2009, Karenza took part in Artstart, an Early Years Training Programme run jointly by Essex County Council and The Mercury Theatre in Colchester with nursery and reception year children. The training gave her a strong footing from which to develop and go on to work with children of all ages. She also has several years experinece in working with adults and people with special needs. The following are a few of the projects that she has been involved in:

2025

Art In Aldeburgh Saturday 19th/Sunday 20th July 2025
Art In Aldeburgh Thursday 14th August 2025 - Mixed Media - A Room With a View
Art In Aldeburgh Thursday 11th September 2025 - Mixed Media - Leporello/Concertina Sketchbook - Aldeburgh Scenes

2023

Art Workshop for Ukrainian Children Felixstowe
Art Workshop in Mixed Media and Collage Copford, Essex

2022

Workshops Maldon, Copford and Coggeshall

2021

Workshops - Art in the Garden
Workshops Maldon, Copford and Coggeshall

2020

New courses/workshops from my studio - postponed until the Autumn
One day workshops at Assington - postponed until the Autumn
The Arts Society, Colchester Young Arts Scheme - monoprinting - postponed until the Autumn
Workshops - Art in the Garden

2019

One day workshop with refugee children, Ipswich
Monoprinting workshop - Maldon
Weekend/one day courses at Assington
The Arts Society, Colchester Young Arts Scheme - monoprinting day with Boxted Primary School
10 week art sessions, Spring, Summer Autumn at Goat Lodge, Great Totham
Minories
New workshops from my studio
Open Studio and Taster Day

2018

The Art Society, Colchester (formerly DFAS) Young Arts Scheme - monoprinting in a day with 200 children at Nayland primary school.
Weekend courses at Assington
Simply Art, Copford 2009 - 2018
10 week art sessions, Goat Lodge, Great Totham
One Day workshops for adults at Fantasia Textiles Studio, Coggeshall
One day workshop for children with special needs from Eyke School, Suffolk held in Aldeburgh

2017

Weekend courses at Assington
10 week art sessions at Goat Lodge, Great Totham
Exphrasis Project - making a piece of artwork in response to a poem
Touching the Tide Workshops at Dunwich and Felixstowe Museum

Exphrasis Project - making a piece of artwork in response to a poem

2016

Exphrasis Project - making a piece of artwork in response to a poem

ArtSmart 7 - 12 yrs Gainsborough's House, Sudbury

Art in the Afternoons 13 - 15 yrs Gainsborough's House, Sudbury

Weekend Courses at AssingtonArt from the Imagination, Towards Abstraction, Monoprinting from the Model, Flower Painting with Impact, and to come: Mirror Reflections with Lighting and Experimental Drawing

Colchester DFAS Young Arts Scheme at Holy Trinity C of E School, Fordham Heath, nr Colchester - a series of workshops with primary school children and staff

Touching the Tide - Sketching Minibeasts with families and children at Minsmere RSPB Discovery Centre, Suffolk

Touching the Tide - Painting birds with families and children at Minsmere RSPB Discovery Centre, Suffolk

Touching the Tide Workshop for families and children at Dunwich Museum, Suffolk

Touching the Tide Workshop for families and children at Felixstowe Museum, Suffolk

Sketching out in the landscape workshop at Whites Farm, White Colne

CO3 Studios, Colchester - Monoprint/Collage - Birds

CO3 Studios, Colchester - Monoprint/Collage - Flowers
Blackwater DFAS - teaching 8 staff 3 methods of monoprinting and demonstrating for a video 3 methods of monoprinting as a teaching tool for 600 children at the Plume School, Maldon, Essex

2015

More Sketching/Mixed Media & Writing Days out along Suffolk Coastline See www.tidalmargins.wordpress.com for more info
Workshops for Children at the Ipswich Museum
Collage and Monoprinting Course at CO3 Studios, Colchester
2 day monoprinting workshops for children at Christchurch Mansion, Ipswich.
Part of the Aspire Project - John Constable's 'Salisbury Cathedral From The Meadows'
Sketching/Painting Days out in the landscape near Colchester, Essex
Sketching out in the Landscape with Tidal Margins
The Big Draw at Ipswich Museum for families - Tidal Margins
The Big Draw at Firstsite for adults
Colchester DFAS Young Arts Scheme at Holy Trinity C of E School, Fordham Heath, nr Colchester
ArtSmart 7-12 yrs Gainsborough' House, Sudbury
Art in the Afternoons, 13-15yrs, Gainsborough's House, Sudbury
2 New Weekend Courses at Assington
Collage and Monoprinting, Costumed Life Model

2014

Workshops with CO3, Colchester
ArtSmart 7-12yrs Gainsborough's House, Sudbury
Art in the Afternoons, 13-15 yrs, Gainsborough's House
Variety of Sketching/ Mixed Media and Writing Days out along Suffolk Coastline
See www. tidalmargins.wordpress.com for more information
Workshops for Children at the Ipswich School of Art Gallery. See www.touchingthetide.gov.uk and www.tidalmargins.wordpress.com for more information
Sketching/Painting Days out in the Landscape near Colchester, Essex

2013

School Visits for children of all ages to Gainsborough's House, Sudbury -
gallery talk and art activities
Museum Club - History/Art Activities for people with special needs, Gainsborough's House, Sudbury
Sketchbook Building for GCSE Art from my Studio

Walk, Sketch and Paint Days for adults

Various Workshops and Courses run from my own studio for adults

Weekly Local Art Group Sessions for adults