Carol Carlson

I have been drawing and painting as long as I can remember. When I was a kid my favorite toy was the etch-a-sketch. I always considered myself "self-taught" although classes in different art mediums are always fun to take. I lived on Long Island, NY (Northport) until 12 years old and then moved to Maryland. While still in high school I got a job in Ady's Art Gallery in Annapolis, MD. The gallery was on Dock Street, located harborside. I painted local and nautical scenes mostly on driftwood that were sold in the shop. That's also where my first set of pen & ink prints were published of local scenes. Any of those that might still be around would be signed by Carol Johnson, my old name.

I work in a variety of mediums and styles. Some of the first paintings I recall finding very attractive were done by the French Impressionists. I really love the color and enthusiasm in their paintings as well as the style. There are many wonderful American Impressionists as well. I love landscapes and am partial to New England scenes and ones that look like that.

Other artists I like are Norman Rockwell and Grandma Moses. I love Folk Art and Naive pieces. A lot of them have simple ideas, lots of color and interesting designs in the work.

My artwork is sketched with much thought given to design. Originally I only worked in acrylics, but now also work in watercolor base with various media on top, such as colored pencil and conte crayons. It is important to use the best art materiels. It makes the work "come together" much nicer.

I live in just outside South Lake Tahoe, CA. Pretty much everyday I am in the studio working on something. The artwork is really fun to work on. Some days I will go outside and do a plein air painting. Sometimes it is finished there, and sometimes I finish it up in my studio. It's nice to work from photos as reference too.

Thank you for looking at my artwork. Please ask if you are looking for something in particular. I do accept commissions. If you have a favorite scene you'd like a painting of, please contact me.

© Carol Carlson. Artist retains all copyright.
Artwork may not be reproduced under any circumstances without permission