Karol Carlsen

About the Artist

Karol Carlsen lives and works in Southern Maryland. She attends St.Mary’s College and will earn a B.A. as well as a minor in Educational Studies. In the Summer of 2019, she will begin a Masters in the Art of Teaching Program at Maine College of Art.  Karol draws much of her inspiration from nature and aquatic environments. Working primarily in oil paint, she conveys light, texture, and mood through the creative application of paint. Layering thin washes with thick layers, she creates complex compositions of underwater scenes. Aquatic life is the primary subject matter of her work, as she has always grown up around the  Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean, and for a period of time, even lived on a sailboat.  

Artist's Statement

Memory and observation collide in the depths of the ocean, creating scenes filled with the strange and mysterious. Vicious brush strokes intertwine with thin washes, reflecting how memories of my experiences flux through my mind. Organic shapes and spurts of bright color reflect the habits of aquatic life. Within Triptych and the smaller body of work that accompanies it, I have created my interpretation of the underwater world. Originating from observation, I take what I have seen in nature through my own experiences and relay the visual and emotional impact it has had on me. Exploring artists in the Abstract Expressionist Movement including Helen Frankenthaler and Joan Mitchell has had a major impact on my process and approach to painting. Incorporating techniques such as soak staining, dripping and layering has allowed me to translate memory and emotional states through paint application. My process is reactionary. While painting my next steps respond to the marks that were just made. The structures and forms that I create are often a result of the combination of evoked memories and a response to the previously made marks. Triptych and the smaller body of work that accompanies it reflects the mystery and wonderment I have felt as a result of my underwater experiences.