Carol & Her Studio (formerly Carol V. Gray)

With my use of color and design, I want to stir your senses and invite you to stop for moment and allow
your head and heart to go beyond the boundaries
of the frame.

I work in water soluble oils with a palette knife and in the medium of pastel. Pastels are chalk-like sticks of pure pigment and they come in all shapes, sizes and degrees of softness. Oils and pastels facilitate my exploration of color. Much like a musician, I choose a particular chord to convey harmony and unity throughout each painting.

An Artist's Story:
At 36, Carol unlocked the artistic vault she had kept sealed for over fifteen years. In 1987, her late mother-in-law introduced her to watercolors and the blue suits of corporate life were traded for an artist's smock shortly thereafter. Through independent study, the wonderful network of art centers located around the Twin Cities (MN) and attending workshops instructed by nationally known artists, Carol learned the challenging medium of watercolor. In 1994, she added the medium of pencil to her repertoire, followed by pastel in 2001 and oils in 2006. If she is not out on the landscape working or scoping out future paintings, you can find Carol in her Black Forest or Deckers, Colorado studios.

Carol is a national award winning artist, Past President of the Minnesota Watercolor Society, and she has curated and juried regional shows. Her hand portraits were the cover story of Watercolor, a national arts magazine, and her work has been exhibited in regional museums and art centers. She is a signature member of the Transparent Watercolor Society of American, and has been granted (through juried processes) the associate memberships of the Pastel Society of America, the Oil Painters of America, and the Women Artists of the West.

Below is a photograph of Carol's recently completed studio as featured in Art Calendar, March, 2007. You are welcome to visit! Call 719-598-3196 for an appointment.