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Inspired by sitting in long meadow grass and being surrounded by new tiny ash trees, hoping they will one day reach maturity.
Carole lives in Cowfold, West Sussex, painting full time and feels privileged to be surrounded by views of the South Downs. Being outdoors in all weathers is inspirational for her work.
Carole exhibits independently, in galleries, and within groups, and also works on commission. She is self taught because she didn’t have the opportunity to further her education and as time went on, she gradually realised how satisfying it was to learn and grow from her own experiences.
Carole’s first gallery show was in 1986, in Lewes, East Sussex where she sold her first watercolour landscape, which later led to a small series of local landscapes sold during local Art Festivals. In 2001, a trip around New Zealand inspired her to go on a journey of painting impressions in oils and acrylics which over the years, organically evolved into woodland, forests, caves, and water.
As well as the UK, Carole’s work has sold in New Zealand, Australia, Texas, USA, Franceand Spain. She exhibits in London to raise funds for MIND, a charity for mental health and wellbeing.
Carole loves having the freedom to paint in different styles and some of her impressions reflect her fascination for caves. Painting these energises her imagination in between painting ‘photo real’ botanicals or landscapes in oils, which require a certain discipline. Carole’s botanical work and some of her landscapes and are often mistaken for photographs which for her, is a whole different experience as it restricts creativity and is the very reason why she needs the freedom to move between photo real paintings and impressions.
– Carole Rupniak