Caroline May Stanley emerged in Cape Town, South Africa, grew up in Calgary, AB, and now lives on beautiful Vancouver Island, BC. And everywhere she’s been and gone, a strong desire and need to create has followed right behind.
After years of scribbling on scrap paper, she received a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree from the Alberta University of the Arts (formerly ACAD) in 2007, with a major in painting. Her graduation project consisted of twenty-five paintings entitled Dogality that each captured the essence of a single dog’s “personality” through a unique colour palette. The series sprang into a self-published book in 2008 titled Dogality and a subsequent thriving career in colourful dog portraiture.
Apart from her canine subjects, Caroline has always been a curious explorer and is fascinated by colour, pattern and light found in nature. While most people would be enjoying a spectacular view, she is likely to be found hovering around a tree trunk or kneeling by a lake. Her paintings capture these intimate encounters with nature in saturated realism, creating a surface to explore and experience things often overlooked.
Since graduating from art school, Caroline has continued her painting practice full time in her studio where she plays with paint, dances to Michael Jackson and occasionally takes a nap on the floor. Her artwork continues to gain recognition for its unique take on traditional landscape painting, vivid views of nature and bold colours.
