Carol Jean
visual/performance artist

“Where does Art begin and where does it end?”I believe that I am a continuation of artist before me, and I am part of the process and the evolution of art.  
Being an artist has given me a voice and with that voice gives me power, and with that power gives me responsibility and accountability.   As an artist I must decide upon and establish my vision that truly represents my creative goals and to make those choices that include subject matter that best reflects what I want to say.   As self-taught artist, we make choices of what we want to learn and what we want to accept.  It is about paying attention to our surroundings and accepting those gifts from the universe or from god.
The journey as an artist has not been easy, the growing pains that an artist must go through is uncomfortable and joyous at the same time.   I now understand why parents don’t want their children to become artist, but mom and dad it has made me a better person.  With all the sacrifice and hardship I have no regrets.  I know that this is what I am supposed to be doing with my life, and where it takes me I do not know, but I have faith.
All I really want is to be able to participate in this world, alive or dead the universe will decide.

I have found that art is a way to communicate and articulate what I want to say, it gives me a voice.  As a dyslexic child with a speech impediment, I had trouble expressing myself to others, but now, art allows me to process my thoughts by putting them on the canvas. It’s been very liberating.
Making art also gives me a sense of purpose and completion.  As a painter, I don’t feel lost because I have found my place in the community.  I paint landscapes and iconic places from the Steamboat Springs area because it’s a way of connecting with nature, and I also feel that it’s my responsibility to contribute to my community this way.
My paintings are also very much about getting my empathic feelings out.  Some people exercise or journal, painting is my way of processing the emotional experience.  I want my work to express the emotions of the human soul--pain, love, life.  It’s my truth, it shows how I see the world.  However, it’s not always about me.  Sometimes I know that what I’m painting is just supposed to touch somebody else.
Becoming an artist can be very lonely.  I believe we live in a world that is very disconnected, so I find people and faces in my art.  This technique is called pareidolia.  When you look at my paintings there are people and faces hidden within the paint.  As it is said you can be in a world with a hundred people and feel very alone if no one’s looking at you, so I’ve brought in faces that are looking back.  You might not even notice them, but they are there.  It is part of the painting process that brings me joy.
I have found that I’ve grown the most as an artist by embracing the things that make me Carol Jean.  Some of these things that may seem like problems as in my migraines, I use in my paintings, the  dots, dashes, and patterns.  I also have light sensitivity from the migraines, which is why I paint on a black canvas.  Rather than avoiding or ignoring my situations, I’ve embraced them.
I became interested in storytelling due to the influence of comic artists using the one-frame.  It was during my visit to Europe, that I was inspired by the Belgian artists who painted in a cartoon format.  With this experience, I sought out information on how to write in pictures. This pushed me closer to becoming the artist I am today.
Ultimately, my belief about being an artist is that I must be committed and accountable.  I firmly feel that hard work, determination, and belief in myself are what keep me in the art world.

Carol Jean was born to be an artist. It was obvious at an early age that Carol possessed above average artistic talents. When given her first box of crayons Carol elected to actually color with them, instead of inserting them in nasal orifices or eating them. During her impressionable teen years, her parents (June and Ward Cleaver) tried to shelter her from the underbelly of the art world (Hippies.) However, she soon discovered the value of the art world that she was being denied. Her destiny had been painted. After many art classes she discovered her own box of paints, she has been experimenting with paints ever since.
In retrospect, Carol had many signs that she was fated to become an artist that went unrecognized for years. For example;• She drove by the California Art Institute daily for 3 years.• Her first painting was stolen and then recovered from Henry Mayo Psychiatric Hospital, a sure reflection on her value as an artist.• A palm reader predicted her career as an artist on her 21st birthday.
It was on her 50th birthday that she had an awakening to her true calling as an artist. Since then she has painted over 300 pieces of work. In 2007 she was selected for the Peoples Choice Award at the Steamboat Art Council’s 25th Emerald Show.
Her personal goals include:• living a long and fruitful life, (100+) and still painting daily• dancing at live rock roll concerts (front and center)• creating art that inspires others to be connected to the world