Carol Stewart was born in Ontario, Canada in 1959. She obtained a B.F.A. from Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario in 1981, and finished her M.F.A. in painting at Fontbonne University in St. Louis, Missouri in 2010. For more than 30 years, Carol has rendered still life and gardens from London, UK, Vancouver, British Columbia and now St. Louis where she has lived for 20 years.
Carol's still life and tablescape paintings are characterized by a sophisticated play of color and light. When closely studied, her pieces convey a network of patterning and mark making that creates texture and energy. Stewart is inspired by flowers, plant life, and objects ranging from glass vases to fruit. Recently she has been working on a series of Chinese lantern paintings inspired by a trip to San Francisco. Whether the stage is set up in her studio or painted directly from nature, Stewart's painting succeeds both at close range and from a distance. The viewer is invited into the scene: an explosive field of color. As one's gaze is anchored on the piece, a unified composition emerges while, at the same time, specific elements stand out. Subsequently, depth is established, objects are weighted through their shadows, and subtle balance is expressed through reflections of light that dance across the surface. "I am interested in the abstract elements of the art work as much as the subject matter. My still life paintings are not still. I feel that my paintings are lasting over time and invite repeated exploration."
Carol's works can be found in private and corporate collections in Canada, the United States and Europe.
Selected Collections:
Advanced Endoscopy Center, St. Louis, Missouri
Barnes Jewish Hospital, St. Louis, Missouri
Beechgrove Children's Centre, Kingston, Ontario
Canaccord Capital Corportation Corporate Collection
The Center for Advanced Medicine, Washington University, St. Louis
Delta Hotels, Toronto, Ontario
Dupont Canada Inc. Corporate Collection
Glaxo Canada Inc. Corporate Collection
Physicians and Surgeons Institute Foundation, Toronto, Ontario
Richardson Capital
Richardson-Greenshields Corporate Collection
Richardson Partners Financial
Ontario Cancer Treatment and Research Foundation, Kingston
School of Management, University of Toronto
Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
Artist's Statement
I have felt compelled to paint nearly every day for more than 30 years. My studio is in my home and my art and most aspects of my daily life are intertwined. I have created a place that is a source of constant inspiration: a studio and garden, both of which are full of light, color and pattern.
Still life subject matter is the major vehicle for expression. I spend a great deal of time composing a still life and then work directly from the subject. My passion is making rich and complex oil paintings through color, light, line and texture. It is important to me that the surface of the painting is rich and complex. I use thin washes, opaque layers, transparent glazes, and pastel and charcoal mark making on 300 lb water color paper to achieve this.
The lantern paintings are a departure from the still life and working directly from the subject. They are based on photographs I took in San Francisco's Chinatown. These paintings remain focused on color, light, line and texture, but this new subject matter offers a different kind of space and airiness. Working from photographs presents new possibilities and challenges.
My painting is the result of the combination of steady work, motivation to create and inspiration. Experience has taught me how to get to that place where the magic of a really good painting happens.
~ Carol M. Stewart
Solo Exhibitions:
2011 Sherry Leedy Gallery, Kansas City
2011 Gallery KH, Chicago
2011 Cinema Gallery, Urbana, Illinois
2010 Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis
2008 Loch Gallery, Toronto
2007 Bonsack Gallery, St. Louis
2007 Fleishman Hilliard, St. Louis
2006 Loch Gallery, Toronto
2004 Loch Gallery, Toronto
2004 The Ethical Society of St. Louis
2003 University City Library (juried), St. Louis
2003 Loch Gallery (formerly Nancy Poole's Studio)
2001 Peter Bartlow Gallery, Chicago
2000 Nancy Poole's Studio, Toronto
1998 Nancy Poole's Studio, Toronto
1997 John Ramsay Contemporary Art, Vancouver, BC
1996 John Ramsay Contemporary Art, Vancouver, BC
1994 Nancy Poole's Studio, Toronto
1994 John Ramsay Contemporary Art, Vancouver, BC
1992 Nancy Poole's Studio, Toronto
1991 The Brock Street Gallery, Kingston, Ontario
1991 Nancy Poole's Studio, Toronto
1989 Nancy Poole's Studio, Toronto
1988 Nancy Poole's Studio, Toronto
1987 The Brock Street Gallery, Kingston, Ontario
1986 Nancy Poole's Studio, Toronto
1985 Nancy Poole's Studio, Toronto
1984 Gustafsson Galleries, Brampton, Ontario
1983 The Brock Street Gallery, Kingston
Group Exhibitions:
2010 Toronto International Art Fair (Loch Gallery)
2010 Affordable Art Fair, New York (with Gallery KH)
2010 Gallery Artists, Gallery KH, Chicago
2009 Contemporary Women Artists, Loch Gallery, Calgary
2009 Art Saint Louis Honors Awards
2009 Still Life Painting, Gallery KH, Chicago
2009 St. Louis Painters, Cinema Gallery, Urbana, Illinois
2008 Patterns and Pixels, Art Saint Louis, Award of Excellence
2008 Toronto International Art Fair (Loch Gallery)
2008 The Best of the Contemporaries, Loch Gallery
2008 Tribute, Gallery KH, Chicago
2007 Toronto International Art Fair (Loch Gallery)
2007 The Best of the Contemporaries, Loch Gallery
2006 Toronto International Art Fair
2006 Mary Bell Galleries, Chicago
2005 to present, Regional Arts Commission, St. Louis. Missouri
2004 The Exhibition, Art Saint Louis, juried by Chakia Booker
1988 "Britain's Painters' 88", juried, The Mall Galleries, London, UK
1985 International Works on Paper, London Regional Gallery, London, Ontario
1984 Women's Art Festival, juried, Kingston Artists' Association
1983 Women's Art Festival, juried, Kingston Artists' Association
1981 Queen's University Bachelor of Fine Arts Group Show
