Katy Caroline: Her artistic credits continue to grow

Katy Caroline paints every day and just about everything, yet she still can’t get enough of it: beach scenes, sea animals, landscapes, abstracts, surrealism and portraits of people and pets.

Largely self-taught, Caroline has quickly become a recognized and award-winning artist whose work “Nags Head Hammocking” bested all entries to be chosen as this year’s cover of the Beach Book. 

“Siamese Triplets” illustrates her skill and imagination. The close-up of a blue crab melds the features of the bunny in “Donnie Darko” with Gremlin teeth around the mouth and avian shapes in the eyes.

Caroline discovered her artistic talents in 2005 when she took painting classes at College of The Albemarle. Her instructor noticed her skill and encouraged her creativity.  She has no other formal art education, but her work speaks for itself.  

She entered a painting contest through COA and her “Jack Burass” won best in show.  The piece later sold for almost $300. When she saw the purple ribbon on her painting, she realized she wanted to be a professional artist.

Later that year, a T-shirt shop in Corolla commissioned Caroline to paint a mural.  Her second job was another mural at Poor Richard’s in Manteo, which put her on the “locally known map.”

  Click on a photo to see the full gallery.

After a steady flow of commissioned works started coming her way, she decided to quit her job at the Nags Head Animal Hospital.

“If you want to be good at it you have to devote yourself,” she said. “I feel like it is 10 percent talent and 90 percent putting the effort and really wanting to do it.”

Her reputation and credits continued to grow.  She entered a Glenn Eure self-portrait exhibition in 2009 and won best in show. It was the first portrait she ever painted. 

In 2010, her painting “Craberet” won Honorable Mention and the “People’s Choice” award for the Beach Book Cover contest and was featured on the cover of last year’s “Beach Explorer.”

Caroline acknowledges the tension between creating for art’s sake and making a living through her work.

It is about livelihood versus an expression of myself,” she said. “I paint what I see and imagine, but I’m learning to let a little bit of myself into my art. Expressing myself is a journey I’m taking, but I have no idea where (it) is going to take me. Maybe in 10 years people will look at my art and be able to say, yeah that’s Katy’s.”

Caroline never seems to struggle for ideas.

“There are limitless ideas, but execution is the tricky part,” she said. “So far, realism and people portraits are my painting marathons. Very difficult, time consuming and you feel like you’re going to lose your sanity, but when it’s done, it is very satisfying.”

Another satisfying thing for her is sharing her skills and knowledge through her “Sip-N-Dip” classes.  Participants spend two hours with her, bringing the beverage of their choice, naturally. 

They leave the session with their own work, a painting. Interestingly, Caroline embraces the business end of being a professional artist as much as the creative side, though she admits, “If I had somebody to do the business side, I’d have more time to paint.”

Katy Caroline’s collection will be the featured exhibit at the Dare County Art’s Council Gallery in Manteo, May 6 to 31.

Top photo: Best In Show in Glenn Eure’s self-portrait exhibition in 2009.

For more information, visit www.katycaroline.com.

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