In recent years, Karen has become dedicated to supporting and uplifting others, and to erasing the stigma around mental illness, doing so by sharing her own stories and experiences with such through her abstract paintings. As a long-term sufferer of depression, anxiety, PTSD, and diagnosed late in life with autism (at age 45 in 2021), themes of vulnerability, change, courage, resilience, determination, and triumph feature heavily in her artworks.

Colour and mark-making are the vehicles by which Karen conveys her messages through her abstract artworks. Painting primarily in acrylics, Karen works spontaneously and quite quickly yet with great purpose and thought, testament to her unrelenting obsession and natural ability with colour. Paint is often applied using contrasting techniques, ranging from thin watery washes to thick impasto. Flamboyant, vivid hues and sorbet tones play harmoniously against each other, laid down in broad sweeping planes of luminous colour contrasted by expressive mark-making. To Karen, each colour she chooses represents a specific emotion or thought, as does the manner in which each is applied. The resulting works are alive with character, rich in emotion, imbued with layers of meaning and heartfelt story-telling.