Artist Bio and Awards
Carol has been an artist and calligrapher for over 40 years. While exploring all kinds of mediums like oils, pastels, acrylics, sculpture and even various kinds of crafts, Carol always came back to her love of the letter form and the use of watercolor to compliment the words.
After taking many courses from Cooper School of Art, classes and seminars on calligraphy with such recognized artists and calligraphers as Arthur Baker, Timothy Botts and Julian Waters, to name a few, she turned to developing her own style of calligraphy in early 1980.
After studying Advanced Calligraphy & Illumination with Gene Schwartz of Akron, she became a member in many local, national and international art guilds and organizations. In the 1980’s she began doing as many as 26 art shows and exhibits, juried and non-juried, every year and developed her own clientele.
While accumulating many awards and recognition’s she began speaking and doing demonstrations on TV and to local groups. Since then, she has owned three Art Galleries, a Gift Shop and a Coffee Shop, all of which exhibited and sold her artwork.
Since 1995 Carol has been working form her studio at home on many corporate and personal commissions as well as a calligraphy book of original religious poems written by Gerald Headd. Her responsibilities regarding the book has involved the artistic interpretation of the words of some 50 poems into art and calligraphy for an 8 ½ x 11 format, along with designing the cover and doing all other text in calligraphy.
Carol has even developed her own cookbook with her own recipes and artwork.
She is presently looking for a publisher to choose from over 400 of her many original works varying in size from 2 inches square to 36 x 36 inches square. Some include calligraphy and are of various subject matters. Her medium usually consists of watercolors, inks, gouaches and acrylics on canvas.
Honors and Credits
1978 - 79 Art League of Bedford, Exhibit Chairwoman
1981 - 86 Wonderful World of Ohio Mart, at Stan Hywet in Akron, Ohio, Official
Scribe, designed grounds map and promo flyer
1983 Tri-County Arts & Crafts Show, Chapel Hill Mall, Akron, Juried
Second Place, mixed media
1983 Scripts & Scribes of Akron, one of the original founders
1983 - 84 Beginners Calligraphy, Winter and Spring, taught at Wayne General and
Technical College a division of Akron University
1983 - 89 WVIZ Auction, Public TV, fund raiser, donated artwork
1984 O’Neils of Akron, Dept. Store, Valentine’s Day Demonstration
1985 Hopper Papers, Award of Excellence, Letterhead Design
1985 Society of Scribes & Illuminators, Lay Member traveling exhibit for
five months throughout England
1985 Graphics ’85, Cleveland Convention Center, designed Logo
1985 Greater Cleveland’s Enterprising Woman Magazine, Pacesetter Award
1987 Western Reserve Calligrapher’s Show, at BP Building in Cleveland, Ohio
Juried, Honorable Mention
1988 Cleveland Magazine, One of 88 “Most Interesting People” Award
1989 - 97 Corporate and Private Commissions
1997 Finalist in the “Campbell’s Art of Soup Contest”
1999-01 Built my own website and one other
2003 Winner, The Graceful Envelope Contest, sponsored by the National Assoc. Of Letter Carriers, This piece was on Exhibit in the Smithsonian.
2005 Best Of Scottsdale Show
2005 Published in "Kaligraphia" in Turkey, Author of that book was Murat Unver
2005 Sold many of my paintings in a Gallery in Old Town Scottsdale where I also worked
2006 Member of the Sonoran Art League
Corporate Commissions and Collections
Forest City Enterprises Carnegie Capital Management WEWS TV 5
WVIZ TV 25 Public TV Northeast Ohio Apartment Assoc.
Building Owners and Mgrs. Assoc. President, BP America, London, Eng. Weiss Advertising
Greater Cleveland Growth Assoc. Downtown Business Council
Playhouse Square Assoc. Penton Publishing Oberlin College
Cleveland State University Oak Tree Restaurant, Dallas, TX
Oro Valley AZ, Mayor’s Office United Church of Christ, Chicago, IL Dix and Eaton
Wadsworth Public Library Delores Knowlton Realtors Sherwin Williams Paint
Cornerstone Log and Frame Aunty M’s Embroidery Designs
…………………and many more
Private Collections
Lorna Barrett of TV 5 Bill Gordon, formerly of TV 5
Tony Harris, PM Magazine now with CNN Kathy Bruegette, PM Magazine
Bill Cosby Tom Wilson creator of Ziggy
…………………and many more
Carol's Artist Statement
As an artist and calligrapher for almost 30 years I have always had this very strong and compelling artistic desire to create, whether it’s making a floral arrangement, or combining calligraphy with a landscape.
I love working in watercolor, inks and gouaches. Watercolors give me the transparency that I look for, yet the gouaches give me a deep intense color especially when I m lettering.
I find myself always looking for new and interesting subject matter, so everything I look at, in my minds eye, is like constructing a painting, with a foreground, middle ground and background. Although a floral painting can be beautiful, so can the close-up of one single flower. Sometimes it’s the magnification of the flower, as though I were a butterfly sitting on a petal looking at the stamen like in a Georgia O’ Keefe painting.
As a realist I sometimes get carried away with detail. Detail can be very important, yet, depending on the subject matter, some parts of my paintings are vague, then the viewer’s imagination can take over.
When text is involved I let the words tell me how a piece should be done-what type of alphabet, should there be artwork, what colors I should use, etc. Words can tell a story but how they are done (bold bright colors, for example) can create much more of an impact on the reader. When I use calligraphy alone I like it to be beautiful to look at as well as to read. Design, letter style and color is very important. When calligraphy is mixed with artwork it depends on what the text is, as to whether it should be dominant or secondary. It’s a balance between the two that makes the artwork successful. If it’s done right then the viewer does not feel compelled to read it every time they look at it.
I spent a great deal of my time creating original greeting cards. Most of my cards are designed to please the recipient. I get as much information about the person receiving the card as possible. What is the occasion, their interests or hobbies, favorite colors, etc. An appropriate greeting is done in calligraphy on the inside of the card with the face of the card containing artwork designed for their situation with perhaps just a traditional Happy Birthday, Tom or Happy Anniversary to Two Special People, thus making each and every one very challenging. I found the combination of art and calligraphy to be the best of both worlds.
I moved to Arizona in 2003 and have been doing some large (2 ft. PLUS) acrylic paintings. I’ve done a floral series and some southwestern pieces. I’m looking to do much more in this medium. I'm using bright, cheerful colors in this medium and the public loves them, so, I plan on doing more of this style.
As much as I enjoy creating my artwork I think I enjoy more, watching for that emotional reaction, everything from a laugh or tears or that look of surprise from those who see my work! Then I know I connected, I made it personal. My ultimate goal in life is to know others get as much joy from owning my artwork as I do from creating it.
The Elegant Envelope Contest Winner for 2003
I am honored and pleased to be among the winners in The Graceful Envelope Contest for 2003.
Please stop by and see the other winners at their website. Just click on their name above.
I have created a virtual gift shop called Art By Carol at Cafe Press. Featuring all her unique paintings placed on affordable gift items and quality products like, framed calligraphy verses, mugs, journals, calendars, tile coasters, tile keepsake boxes, note cards, greeting cards, Christmas note cards, magnets and even some T-shirts, BBQ aprons, bibs and tote bags.
Shop now, shop early, new items added daily. click on the banner to enter.
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The artwork contained in these pages are the sole ownership of the artist and may not be used without written permission of the Artist. Copyrighted 1986-2008. All rights reserved. This page was created 04/17/08
