About Caroline

Caroline Italia Carlson

Awards

People's Choice Award
Photography/Conceptual Art
The New Normal
Escanaba, MI, 2020

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
Carlsbad, CA, 2001

First Place
Oil Painting
Carlsbad Oceanside Art League
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

I

am an artist whose work spans the full spectrum of media, from oil paintings to print work, web design, and multi-media. I have also provided art direction for product concepts and photo shoots through my illustrations. I love working on teams but am also skilled at working remotely with little supervision.

The daughter of a craftsman and an artist, I studied art formally from the age of six, taking courses in drawing, painting, and sculpting at Hofstra University while in elementary school. In high school, I picked up my first airbrush and fell in love. After college, I spent a summer working in the airbrush booth at Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey. I have also used my airbrushes for murals, both inside and outdoors, for homes and businesses.

I completed a bachelor’s degree in fine art and a minor in art history at the State University of New York at Stony Brook studied illustration and graphic design at the Joe Kubert School in Dover, NJ, digital marketing at Morris County School of Technology in Denville, NJ, web development at Fairleigh Dickinson University in Madison, NJ, web design and development through the AQUENT Springboard program in Boston, MA, and completed Seth Godin's online course, "The Marketing Seminar." I am a perpetual student always seeking to improve. I continue to art, marketing, and business daily.

Early in my career, I honed my skills in the pressure cooker of East Coast marketing firms, where the creative energy and intense deadlines refined my talents and work ethic. I have shown my work in New York, California, and Wisconsin, including exhibits in SoHo, NYC. I have won several awards for my paintings.

I learned web design in 1999 while working in the corporate world. Already having design skills, I was trained by programmers to understand how to use HTML, CSS, BootStrap, and WordPress to design sites that are not only attractive but successfully convert. I am comfortable working in HTML and CSS code and have extensive experience working with developers and programmers. I have been working in WordPress since 2008 and am very proficient and comfortable on the platform. I have worked as a web designer for corporations, non-profits, and small businesses. I have over 10 years of experience successfully working remotely both as a web and print designer. My work studio is set up with a powerful iMac and 400 Mbps internet.

I have worked in print design since 1996, and have experience in corporate marketing as well as art directing, designing, and producing magazines. I also have experience in packaging, working at Petco's national headquarters in California I am experienced creating circulars, catalogs, pop displays, logos, and marketing collateral.

My illustration experience includes drawings for M&M Mars, Tic Tac, Chevron, 7-Eleven, and McDonald's. I have used my illustrations to provide art direction for photoshoots to "sell" shoot concepts to clients. I also styled photoshoots for photographers using my illustrations as a guide for myself and other photo stylists.

My multimedia experience includes almost three years as the Director of Marketing and Creative Design at the National Wellness Institute. I produced and edited videos and online courses in addition to my marketing duties. I also produced the Institute's podcast, researching, booking, and conducting interviews, as well as doing the audio production.

I launched the Passionate Painter Podcast in 2019 to provide artists with inspiration, actionable tips, and encouragement. It features interviews with practicing artists in all varieties of media, so listeners can learn how they show up to create and what got them where they are today. I also interview gallery owners, art agents, marketers, and other business people, to provide insights into the business of art.

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

You can see my online portfolio through the links at the top of this page.

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

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