Karen Carmona -Joss was born in London in 1957. She is the youngest of three sisters and comes from an artistic background. Her paternal Grandfather was born in the vibrant and colourful city of Istanbul.He moved to London where he dealt in Persian carpets and he had a good eye for colour and would advise his customers on carpet colours and designs for their homes.
Her late father, Albert Carmona was born in 1919 in London and was one of four children. He and his two brothers all served in the army and thankfully all returned at the end of the second world war. His mother had died through illness during this time and this was hard for all of them. He always said to his three girls to enjoy the freedom to choose your paths and not be burdened with the horrors of war as he was when he was young.
Albert designed posters as a younger man and after he married, he became a dress manufacturer, selecting fabrics, designing dresses and dealing with store buyers. He was a big influence on Karen and they worked together for many years until he sadly passed away in 2010. He instilled a love of life, laughter and a closeness of famliy which still plays a very important part to her today.
Karen attended Harrow College of Art in 1973 for a 2 year Foundation Course. This included History of Art lectures, drawing life and still life, 3D, photography, jewellery design, silversmithing, silk screen printing and etching, lino cut printmaking. She took two A levels in Art and Art printmaking and achieved Grade A in both. She then stayed at Harrow College for a three year Fashion Design Course and graduated in 1978. She specialised in evening wear and this was a happy and creative time for her at college, visiting Paris for the couture shows and Pret a Porter. The Japanese designers were making avery big impression on the fashion industry and she vividly remembers going to Kansai Yamamoto show.She also loved the french language and improved her language skills.Karen developed a love of natural wools, silks and the versatility they can provide. She was offered her first job with Spanish evening wear designer Marisa Martin in Knightsbridge after the final degree fashion show at the Cafe Royal in June 1978. Marisa specialised in silk and antique lace and supplied Harrods and other upmarket shops.Karen also worked freelance for Juliette Dunn from 1978/9 for several seasons.
In 1979 she went on to work for a well known Scottish designer based in London called Bill Gibb. He had a studio and a small workroom in Poland Street, a shop in Old Bond Street plus a franchise in Harrods. Karen was very inspired by him and loved the silk fabrics and yarns he used for his couture evening wear plus the famous bumble bee embroidery he made his own. She assisted him on licensee ranges of evening and day wear and also dealt with the fashion editors from Vogue and various newspapers. Bill was so talented and loved by the press, his clients plus the people who worked closely with him. Sadly Bill died too young in 1988 and will never be forgotten in the fashion industry as he was one of our great designers. A biography of Bill written by Iain R. Webb in 2008 shows his beautiful designs and a quote from Bill which Karen appreciates now as an artist ,"My real joy in life is creating, I think I am really an artist painter who happens to be in the fashion world."
In 1981 Karen joined the BBC Costume Department on a six month temporary contract. This took her away from the commercial side of clothing to film and TV. She worked in Light entertainment on two comedy series one being The Dick Emery show and Mike Yarwood. This proved to be a rewarding change to her career with many funny moments during filming on location and in the studio. She enjoyed this time and the hard work but at the end of the contract she chose not to renew and return to fashion.
Karen continued to work freelance for several years until she joined Interior Designer, Robin Guild in 1986.He had a furniture showroom called Indiaworks off the Pimlico Road,London which imported decorative pieces from India. The most popular item was the dhurrie covered sofa, which Karen and the team would select rugs for one-off sofas for individual clients. Colouful India is a true description of the stock including fabrics and glass lanterns, jali screens and carved wooden furniture.
Over the years Karen has juggled her art with family life and continued to visit many exhibitions on her travels and in the UK. She joined the Royal Academy of Art and loves many of their exhibitions.
She visited Thailand in 2006 and was amazed at the beautiful silks at Jim Thomson, Bangkok. After buying several fabrics she had 4 outfits made in less than 7 days and the quality of the work was very high.
She has taken several courses to improve her skills in French, silversmithing, mosaic and pottery. She joined the Hertfordshire Visual Arts Group in 2007 and was instructed by one of their sculpture tutors/ artists workshop.
Venice is another place very close to her heart and she adored Murano,with its amazing glass sculptures and jewellery plus the galleries.She took many photos and video on this trip in 2007 and is yet to paint from it.
Karen's love of wildlife and painting animals and tropical fish, lead her to go on a safari trip to Namibia with an art group in April 2012. This was a turning point for her as she had never been so close to the animals and able to take quick photos and sketch in the jeep as they moved from one place to the next. In certain areas the group were able to draw outside and the changing terrain from green to salt pans to red sand dunes was stunning. The sunsets and colour was vibrant as was the sky at night. It was a trip that gave Karen an opportunity to work and travel with like-minded people in a relaxed atmosphere. Again she has many photos to work from and hopes to return one day.
Karen was very inspired by artist, Bettina Caro whom she became friendly with after seeing her work at a friend's home. Bettina was just starting a painting group at her studio so Karen joined in March 2009 and has continued to the present time. They exhibited as a group named The Caro Academy of Art in October 2009 and November 2012. (Please see exhibitions page).