KAREN LYNCH

Welcome to Leaf and Petal Design, showcasing the collage art of Karen Lynch.

Karen Lynch is an Australian artist specialising in both digital and hand-cut paper collages. Her work merges vintage materials—sourced from thrift shops, second-hand bookstores, markets, and garage sales—with modern photography, creating vibrant, surreal, retro-futuristic photomontages that breathe new life into forgotten fragments of the past.

Drawing inspiration from mid-century architecture, vintage fashion, European cinema, Kodachrome photography, retro advertising, and the natural world, Karen's surrealist style features space imagery, miniature worlds, and exaggerated fantasy landscapes. Her work experiments with colour and scale to evoke a sense of wonder and possibility. 

“As a material driven artist, the hunt for source material can be both the most exhilarating and most challenging part of my process.  I typically begin with a single compelling image and it’s often a process of trial and error, building on this key image, recontextualizing and juxtaposing different elements until I’m satisfied” Karen explains.

Scientific American praised her work as “a fun jaunt into that otherworldly world” in their blog about art inspired by the Great American Eclipse of 2017.

Beyond her personal art practice, Karen is a freelance artist creating album covers, book covers, magazine illustrations, and advertising content. Her notable projects include a double album project for Australian musician Bernard Fanning, featuring two album covers and a limited edition poster. Her work on Fanning’s album "Civil Dusk" earned her a nomination for Best Cover Art at the ARIA Awards. Karen also contributed visual content for Fanning's 2017 Splendour in the Grass festival set.

Karen's portfolio includes album art for major labels such as Sony, Warners and Universal Music, as well as independent record labels and artists worldwide. Her clients include Ferris & Sylvester, Jason Van Wyk, Turkuaz Band, Matt Simons, Felix Jaehn, Mares, Sammy Boller, Boombox Cartel, Jeremy Gravely, LIOHN, Side Effects Band, the Electric Company, and Tim Wheatley.

Her artwork has graced international music and arts events, including the La Villette Arts Festival in Paris across multiple seasons. Karen has also created visual content for high-profile advertising campaigns, with past clients including South Australian Tourism Commission, Cancer Council of Australia, Coors Light, Shutterstock, Coach New York, La Prairie, SK Group Korea, and Mercedes Benz Australia.

Karen’s designs have appeared on Burton Snowboards, Kateboard Skateboards, Aether Brewery’s decorative beer cans, Wentworth Wooden Puzzles, and Jiggy Puzzles.

She designed the cover for New York Times best selling author Sarah Wilson’s most recent book, "This One Wild and Precious Life" and the French edition of Mia Kankimäki’s "The Women I Think About at Night." Her work has appeared in international publications including Playboy, GQ China, NYLON, Deco Journal, Musee, NR Magazine, Cincinnati Magazine, and Southwest Review.

Karen has exhibited her art in the USA, France, Italy, Norway, Canada, and Australia and has collaborated with international artists such as Jesse Treece, Sarah Eisenlohr, Mr. Babies, Andrew McGranahan, and Adelaide-based collage artist Kate Cuthbert.

Karen resides by the beach in Adelaide, South Australia.

To learn more about Karen, watch a video here and explore features, media and publication links here.

Say hello to her on Instagram @leafandpetaldesign