About the Artist

Thanks for visiting. As you can see, I zero in on my subject, concentrate on the little things and never clutter the canvas. I think simplicity is attractive, elegant and honest.

At the age of 16, I began my art journey by making scrimshaw. It’s an art form started by the Yankee Whalers while whaling off the shores of New England. In the days of the whalers they engraved on whales teeth, however, I used various other mediums to execute may engravings. By the time I was 18, I was selling an elevated form of scrimshaw to Bonwit Teller and B. Alman in Manhattan. It was beyond my dreams to have my work in those department stores and to do it at such a young age.

At 21 years old I moved to Manhattan and made a living freelancing at engraving companies. I engraved on silver bowls, rings, and trophies. These companies saved the difficult jobs for me which was stressful because if I made a mistake on a Tiffany bowl, it wasn’t a good day. From engraving, I moved on to desiging garments and had them manufactured in various places around the world. Among my clients were Royal Caribbean, MGM, and Universal Studios. Designing and importing made for a stressful life as well. I boarded countless planes, had meetings with factories, back and forth to Hong Kong, Macua, Mauritius, and Portugal. Lots of worries followed me in those days. I’m glad to paint now instead.

I’ve been working on this collection of animals for nearly 2 years. I hope they make you smile, because when I’m painting these little faces, I sure do smile. I paint from my soul while I transform an animal from its canvas infancy to something recognizable, and looking into those soulful eyes that I gave life to, brings me so much joy. I’m fortunate that I can create something out of nothing. Fortunate that I am capable of creating a dimension that really isn’t there, and fortunate that I can merge my two loves, painting and animals.

I’ll probably be working on this collection for another three to four years, then I’ll move onto another series. I feel that if I end a series and never return, that I and collectors can savor the scarcity of that collection, rather than painting many units over and over again because it’s marketable.

Another earlier collection was displayed in a solo show for 3 months at the Newport Art Museum consisting of 42 paintings of shoes.

I think shoes are a perfect combination of form, function and artistry. They can be elaborate expressions of style, culture, and tolerance for pain. They can trigger a smile, a raised eyebrow or just keep our feet warm and dry as we walk through life. Though I’ll never return to painting shoes, I so enjoyed my time with them, as I enjoy my animal portraits today.

I’ve gone back to my home town of Newport, RI after spending my younger adult years in Manhattan. Now, I only board a plane to explore, and for no other reason but to learn and enjoy what’s out there.

Thanks for taking a peek into my world of Animal Portraits.

-Carol