Karen-Marie Axworthy
Artist
JOY Summer Collection|2026
Five creatures. Five moments. One celebration of wonder.
JOY is a collection of five original acrylic paintings created by Karen-Marie Axworthy in South Sardinia during the summer of 2026.
Inspired by the beauty, mystery and magic of the natural world, each painting tells a story of freedom, transformation, connection and joy.
The five original artworks are available for private acquisition, with worldwide shipping arrange upon request.
THE HUMMINGBIRDS WHO COLLECTED
THE DAWN
Original acrylic on cotton canvas
80 x 100 x 3.8cm | 2026
£1,750
Before most of the world had woken, the hummingbirds were already busy. They travelled from flower to flower, collecting tiny fragments of the morning -a little gold from the rising sun, a flash of pink from the clouds, a breath of blue from the early sky. They carried these colours with them as they moved. Nobody else could see what they were collecting. But perhaps that was the secret. The hummingbirds understood that joy could be gathered in tiny pieces. A moment of light. A burst of colour. A flower opening. The first warmth of the day. And so they collected the dawn, carrying little pieces of morning wherever they went.
Joy is often found in the smallest moments if we are present enough to collect them
THE DRAGONFLIES WHO CHASED
THE SUNSET
Original acrylic on cotton canvas
80 x 100 x 3.8cm | 2026
£1,750
As the day began to disappear, the dragonflies gathered where the last light touched the sky. They had spent the day darting between reeds and flowers, following the warmth of the sun. But as evening approached, something changed. The light became softer. The colours became deeper. And instead of returning home, the dragonflies followed the sunset. They chased the final ribbons of gold across the sky, dancing through the space between day and night. Perhaps they knew something we sometimes forget:
Beauty does not last forever - and that is exactly what makes it precious.
THE WHALE WHO FOLLOWED
THE STARS
Original acrylic on cotton canvas
80 x 100 x 3.8cm | 2026
£1,750
Far out in the ocean, beneath a sky scattered with stars, a great whale lifts her tail above the water before disappearing once again beneath the waves.Nobody knows where she is going.Perhaps she is following the stars. Perhaps she has simply learned to trust the pull of the ocean. Above her, the night sky stretches endlessly. Beneath her, the deep water carries her onwards.She doesn't need to see the whole journey.She only needs to follow what calls her forward.And so she disappears beneath the surface, leaving only the quiet ripple of her passing behind.
You don't always need to know where you are going to trust that you are on your way.
THE DOLPHINS WHO DANCED
WITH THE MOON
Original acrylic on cotton canvas
80 x 100 x 3.8cm | 2026
£1,750
When the moon rose over the ocean, the dolphins came to play. They disappeared beneath the waves and reappeared beneath the silver light, turning and leaping as though the sea itself were music. They had no destination. No reason to hurry. They simply danced. Above them, the moon followed their movements. Below them, the dark ocean shimmered. For a little while, there was no difference between sky and sea, moonlight and water, movement and stillness. The dolphins knew something simple:
Sometimes the journey is the whole point.
THE SEAHORSES WHO CARRIED THE SECRETS
OF THE SEA
Original acrylic on cotton canvas
80 x 100 x 3.8cm | 2026
£1,750
Deep beneath the surface, where the sunlight becomes softer and the sea grass moves gently with the current, there is a world that very few people ever see. This is where the seahorses live. They move quietly through hidden gardens, carrying stories from one part of the ocean to another. Ancient stories. Stories of storms and shipwrecks, moonlight and tides, journeys and reunions. But there is one secret they keep more carefully than all the others. It is the secret of love. Because perhaps love has always been hidden in the places we least expect to find it - beneath the surface, between the waves, quietly moving with the tide...The seahorses know. And they are not telling,
Some of life's most beautiful things are the secrets we carry quietly within us.
ACQUIRING AN ORIGINAL ARTWORK
Each of the five original paintings in the JOY | Summer 2026 collection is available for private acquisition at £1,750.
All artworks are original acrylic paintings on cotton canvas, measuring 80 × 100 × 3.8 cm, created in South Sardinia, Italy.
Worldwide shipping is available. Each painting will be professionally packaged to ensure its safe journey to its new home. Shipping, packaging and insurance are quoted separately according to the destination.
For purchase enquiries, shipping quotations, gallery representation or further information, please get in touch. I would be delighted to hear from you.
© 2026 Karen-Marie Axworthy. All rights reserved.