artist statement

Lapithae, oil painting by Caroline Italia Carlson

I've been hungry for as long as I can remember.

For meaning, for connection. For me, painting is as much about the journey as the end product. My works are the byproduct of my longing to hurtle myself back into the collective consciousness of creation. When I paint, I am home.

I paint portraits and narrative figure compositions. I love these genres equally, because even a portrait, with its  seemingly straightforward subject, can capture something deeper, a glimpse of one's inner universe.

My narrative compositions are a gritty nod to the Pre-Raphaelites. Each is a painting a "page" ripped from the collective journal of our struggles, vulnerabilities, triumphs, and heartbreaks.

I paint to reach out on a soul level, willing viewers to understand, "I see you, I get you, you are not alone."

"Listing three artists who have influenced me is tough. I'd say my top three would be Egon Schiele, Gustav Klimt, and John Williams Waterhouse. But the artist with whom I feel the most connection is Katie O'Hagan. When I saw her work, I thought, "She gets me." It was like looking into my own psyche."

Caroline Italia Carlson (She/Her)

Caroline Italia Carlson

Bio

C

aroline Italia Carlson is a fine artist and the owner of Caroline Italia, a digital agency that provides web and print design, podcasting services and instruction, audio and video editing, and copywriting. She is also the creator and host of the Passionate Painter Podcast.

Caroline has shown her fine art in galleries in New York, California, Wisconsin, and Michigan, including exhibits in SoHo, NYC. She has won numerous awards for her drawings, paintings, and photographs.

A New Yorker, Caroline is the daughter of a craftsman and an artist. She studied art formally from the age of six, taking courses in drawing, painting, and sculpting at Hofstra University while attending elementary school.

Caroline became skilled with an airbrush in high school and went on to incorporate it into her business through muraling and clothing art.

After studying fine art and science for two years at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Caroline completed her bachelor of art degree in visual art and a minor in art history at the State University of New York at Stony Brook. After college, she relocated to New Jersey and studied illustration and graphic design at the Joe Kubert School, digital design at Morris County School of Technology, and web development at Fairleigh Dickinson University.

Throughout her career, Caroline has continued the development of her skills through the AQUENT Springboard web design and development program in Boston, MA, and through online programs, including Seth Godin's Marketing Seminar, Amy Porterfield's Digital Course Academy, and Marie Forleo's B-School. A perpetual student, Caroline is a voracious reader and continues to study fine art, marketing, and business.

Early in her career, Caroline cut her teeth in the pressure cooker of East Coast marketing firms, where the creative energy and intense deadlines refined her talents and honed her work ethic.

Upon moving to the west coast in 1999, Caroline began art directing magazines and did a deep dive into web design using HTML, CSS, and WordPress.

Caroline's California years included almost a decade of working volunteering at Living Free Animal Sanctuary, a non-profit animal rescue in the San Jacinto mountains where she had the privilege of living with her husband and two sons.

In 2013, Caroline relocated to central Wisconsin with her husband Steve, their two sons, three dogs, and two cats. There, she applied her wide range of traditional and digital art skills in both the corporate environment and remotely through her own small business.

Caroline made her foray into podcasting in 2017, while Director of Marketing and Creative Design for the National Wellness Institute. She launched the Passionate Painter Podcast in 2019 to provide education, inspiration, and encouragement to artists all over the world. As her audience continues to grow, the show continues to be a source of joy and community for her.

In 2020, Caroline and her family made their long-anticipated relocation to Upper Michigan. Possessing the heart of a teacher and motivated by helping others, Caroline enjoys teaching local workshops through the William Bonifas Fine Arts Center while she paints and works part-time in her digital firm.

In 2022, Caroline launched her online portrait masterclass, The Portrait Code, as well as seven stand-alone spotlight courses for fine artists.

Awards

Gladstone City Hall Award, Oil Painting, Northern Exposure XXX, Escanaba, MI, 2022

Escanaba Downtown Featured Artist Award, Oil Painting, Northern Exposure XXX, Escanaba, MI, 2022

People's Choice Award, Photography/Conceptual Art, The New Normal, Escanaba, MI, 2021

Featured Artist Award, Oil Painting, Northern Exposure XXVII, Escanaba, MI, 2020

Media Award, Oil painting, Northern Exposure XXVII, Escanaba, MI, 2020

First Place/Best in Show, Professional 2-D Design, Waupaca Fine Arts Festival, Waupaca, WI, 2015

Honorable Mention, Professional 2-D Design, Waupaca Fine Arts Festival, Waupaca, WI, 2015

Third Place, Banner Design, Idyllwild, CA, 2012

First Place, Oil Painting, Carlsbad Oceanside Art League (awarded twice) Carlsbad, CA, 2001

First Place, Oil Painting, Carlsbad Oceanside Art League (awarded twice) Carlsbad, CA, 2000

Graphic Design Award, Packaging, Pet treat bags used in Petco stores nationwide. Petco National Headquarters, Mira Mesa, CA, 2000

Stony Brook Award: Best Undergraduate Artist, Stony Brook University Stony Brook, New York, 1993

Award of Merit, Oil painting, Nassau Community College Firehouse Gallery, Garden City, New York, 1993

Memberships

Oil Painters Association of America
Portrait Society of America
Cecilia Beaux Forum
Bonifas Art Center

Community Outreach

Painting Juror, 2022 Waterfront Arts Festival, Escanaba, Michigan

Painting Juror, 2022 UP State Fair, Escanaba, Michigan

CAROLINE'S CAUSES

cc_gen_spiese_ptg

Caroline is a longtime supporter of military veterans, both human and canine.

As a service to military families, Caroline donates posthumous oil portraits of fallen U.S. service members, including the devoted military service dogs that travel the world protecting our soldiers.* She also donates money from the sale of her paintings to support domestic and international animal rescue organizations.

Pictured: Caroline with Major General Melvin G. Spiese of the United States Marine Corps in 2012, holding a posthumous portrait of Sgt. Bo's King Cole, who died saving his handler from an IED. Caroline was asked to paint the portrait by Colonel Steve Fisher, Ret., also of the USMC.

Portraits were given to Sgt. Cole's handler as well as the man who raised him and was his original trainer.

"My heart stands with those who fight for this great country," said Caroline, "These dogs are heroes."

 

 

Pictured: Caroline with Major General Melvin G. Spiese of the United States Marine Corps in 2012, holding a posthumous portrait of Sgt. Bo's King Cole, who died saving his handler from an IED. Caroline was asked to paint the portrait by Colonel Steve Fisher, Ret., also of the USMC.

Portraits were given to Sgt. Cole's handler as well as the man who raised him and was his original trainer.

"My heart stands with those who fight for this great country," said Caroline, "These dogs are heroes."

 

SHOWS

2023 Northern Exposure XXX
Escanaba, MI

2022 Bonifas Arts Center Members' show
Escanaba, MI

Solo Show, Olive M. Craig Gallery
Alberta House
Sault St Marie, MI, 2021

Portrait Society of America
A View of Self Portrait Fundraiser
Virtual Show, 2021

The New Normal
Escanaba, MI, 2021

2021 Bonifas Arts Center Members' Show
Escanaba, MI

2020 Northern Exposure XXVII
Escanaba, MI

2019 Waupaca Fine Arts Festival
Waupaca, WI

2015 Waupaca Fine Arts Festival
Waupaca, WI

Art Alliance of Idyllwild
Idyllwild, CA: 2010-2013

Acorn Gallery
Idyllwild, CA, 2012

 

COAL Gallery
Carlsbad, CA, 2001

COAL Gallery
Carlsbad, CA, 2000

Outlaw Art Museum
SoHo, NYC, 1993

Clayton Gallery
SoHo, NYC, 1993

Paul W. Zuccaire Gallery
Stony Brook, NY, 1993

Firehouse Gallery
Garden City, NY, 1992