I create surreal painted landscapes by selectively cutting objects and shapes from images of contemporary paintings produced by other artists. I collect these fragments alongside marks scavenged from the world around, such as graffiti on tabletops and paint on floors. I reconfigure them in new combinations, alongside my own marks. This results in ambiguous narratives which provoke thoughts of otherworldliness. I play with the human desire to find recognisable forms; fictitious shapes appear somehow familiar; as flora and fauna, rocks or rivers. Karen Maxted grew up in Glasgow and studied at Edinburgh College of Art. She was the recipient of the Katherine Michaelson Prize (2018) and the Annual Art Collection Purchase Prize (2018). She lives in Troon, Ayrshire. She has works in collections with the University of Edinburgh and NHS Lothian.