Hi, I’m Karl. 

I’m an artist and cartoonist based in Newcastle upon Tyne.

My work explores consciousness, humour, and the experience of being human. 

I have a fascination with the unknown, the overactive mind, and our spiritual essence - the part of us that connects us to all things, allows for extra sensory perception, intuition, and the ability to do extraordinary things. Exploring the mysteries and magic of life also inspires and fuels my creativity.

My work revolves around four main areas:

• Consciousness – the mystery and the incredible power that hides in the unseen
• Spirituality (without religious attachments)
• The human experience - feelings, emotions, the highs, lows and challenges of life
• Humour – because life’s too short not to enjoy it

I create my work at the 'Art of Enlightenment' studio in Forest Hall. It’s not far from the rising sun country park (which is a beautiful place to enjoy nature).

I work with a wide range of mediums from digital processes, to acrylic paint, pastels, brush and ink, and metal wires. I also use photography, paper cutting and collage. I sometimes use video and sound for a more immersive sensory experience.

A lot of my artwork is symbolic. Similar to Zen, it bypasses the logical mind and speaks directly to the subconscious.

For my cartoons, I use pen and paper. I also create using an iPad.

I spend a lot of time alone with my thoughts, drinking too much tea, and making funny little drawings about life. Especially the bits that make it surreal or a struggle.

Life can sometimes feel overwhelming and heavy, a bit like carrying a sofa upstairs on your own. That’s why I try to transform all the stuff that gets us annoyed, worried, stressed or sad into something more up-lifting. My hope is that some of my cartoons will make you smile or help to brighten your day.

My background in meditation started from accidentally meditating each night as a child. I was practicing a technique that I later found out was called Yoga Nidra. My official training comes from a traditional lineage, passed from teacher to student, tracing back to Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, the founder of Transcendental Meditation. 

I was trained by Jim Malloy, one of the original students trained by Maharishi. When my meditation teacher training was complete, Jim encouraged me to develop my own teaching style and share it with the world. Since 2015, I’ve helped hundreds of people learn how to meditate and use simple effective techniques to help them reduce stress, calm their minds, and live happier, healthier, more enjoyable lives.

Despite creating art since I was small, I only went to ‘art school’ at the age of 45. I studied Fine Art at Sunderland University, graduating with a First Class Honours Degree, along with a Foundation Degree in Applied Fine Art Practice. I also graduated with a student debt that triples each time I blink.

I have a lot of love for cartooning. It actually helped save my life. But we’ll save that story for another day.

It was while teaching meditation that I realised cartoons and humour were also capable of helping us to re-frame the challenges of life into something which makes it feel a lot less heavy. The uplifting effects of humour, creativity, and heart-centred living can work wonders for our wellbeing. 

Anyway, that’s quite enough about me. I’ll let my creative work speak for itself while you take a look around.