Meet Carol
Carol, when did you first know that you were an artist?
I think I knew when I was five. In kindergarten I made a finger-painting. It was red. While most children drew a person or a house, I drew absolutely nothing except circles and squiggles. My dad proudly framed it and hung it prominently visible from the entryway of our house.. My first exhibit!
Did you take art in school?
In college, after two years of General Studies, I felt I had to choose something. I reached back into my memory and recalled my first exhibit. I decided to pursue art. After earning my BFA in Art, I kept on studying, gaining teaching certifications.
Fine Art is in my DNA. I grew up in a home where art was everywhere. My father was an artist… everything he did was done artistically. I took it for granted. I inherited my dad’s artistic eye and a gift for design.
My BFA required that I sign up for a two credit class called “color theory.“ The class sounded very boring to me. But in fact, the class really had very little theory and was very much the hands-on experience that has stayed with me ever since. Color theory and design are the heart of my work.
Decorative art comes to a new level when created with my abstract painted papers.
I create a unique batch of papers for each art commission. With my client’s colors and themes in mind, I carefully chose one painted paper for each piece of the design. Some artworks have 100’s of of pieces.
This process is both challenging and satisfying. I won’t settle until I have found that beautiful and inspirational feeling that lets me know that the work is well balanced and complete.
This work in progress is based on an old black and white photo. My dad and his friends loved sailing on Van Ettan Lake in northern Michigan. This work depicts the start of a race.
My client’s ideas, old photos, family trees, coat of arms, symbols, business logos, or favorite classic artworks……all can serve as inspiration for something new.
My Core Mission
I stumbled upon my painted paper technique as an art teacher while working with student groups to create beautiful artworks for auction. Now it’s my mission to share this fun, creative, collaorative process with others.
You told me earlier that you took summer jobs during college that influenced your life path. Can you tell us about that?
Working with kids at summer camps was great fun for me. Farm camp, swim camp, nature camp…. These offered me opportunities to be creative. Summer camp directors were always looking for something new and different. I was good at that! My love of the group process developed and grew. What can we make together that will be fun, big, and beautiful? There was something satisfying about the final product that would endure. The feeling of working together to achieve a common goal inspired my campers, and brought out our best efforts. Whether it was a giant burlap and yarn farm mural, a huge watercolor sea mural, or a 6 foot tall papier-mâché rooster, it was always fun and treasured.
So then, what did you do after college?
How did your current technique evolve?
I found myself teaching art in a small Catholic school in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where I was also a parent. All parents were expected to contribute something toward the auction. It was natural for me begin to imagine how I could create something beautiful with my students for the auction. So I guess you could say that my process evolved out of a need. I was trying to solve a problem. That color theory class came in handy when I was mixing colors for this project. The kids and I had a lot of fun. To this day, the painted paper process is the cornerstone of my artistic work.
Your process evolved while teaching students. What made you decide to make it your own?
My art auction items were very popular, as is often the case in a small school. But I felt that my work was more than child’s play. I had stumbled upon something I thought was valuable. I began using my painted papers in small portraits, then in nature themed art. I was always my happiest when creating with others.
And you offer classes to teach your technique?
I never really stopped working with groups of students. I’ve offered summer camps, created artworks with families, and taught classes to adults..
I love working with groups! As a matter of fact, I would rather be creating painted papers with a group then working all by myself. That’s just who I am. Co-creating with others energizes me! That’s why I offer my “Family Masterpiece.” It’s an opportunity for me to work with a family… parents, kids, aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents… I love it!
Do you invite people into your studio for these projects?
I am currently devloping my Summer Studio space in Northern Michigan. Your family will be able to book a week of fun at my lakefront cabin and create the art masterpiece of your dreams Contact me to find out how.
So you will be inviting families to an AirBNB experience course to create art. That’s amazing.
Yes, I also work with businesses and organizations to create fun collaborative art experiences for their teams.
You’re pretty busy, do you also teach individual classes?
I want to make this process accessable to as many people as possible. I am in the process of creating recorded classes that will be available online. Anyone will be able to follow along with me and learn what it takes to use painted papers to create a small individual artwork.
Thanks for sharing with us, Carol. How do people get ahold of you?
People can contact me directly from my website, that’s the best way. Follow me on Pinterest, Instagram, and Facebook . I love comments and interaction!. I can be found creating and connecting locally in northern Michigan, and traveling for commissioned events.
LET’S GET STARTED
Contact me for custom requests or art classes.