Karenza Jackson has recently moved to Suffolk and has converted an old outbuilding into a new studio space. 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.
Figures and groups of people became the main source of subject matter for a time, together with still lifes. After being involved in a project called Tidal Margins this led to going out into the landscape in all weathers and all seasons and has given her the opportunity to focus on developing her sketch books and experimenting further with her work. Drawing remains central to her practice, but other media also play a part in the form of line, texture, pattern and colour. She combines monoprinting and collage for much of her output but also works in watercolours, pastels and mixed media
She exhibits her work mainly in and around East Anglia.
Karenza also spends time teaching and running workshops for children, adults and people with special needs.