~ CAROL COVENTRY ~

Carol is better known for her award winning pastel seascapes and landscapes, as the feature artist for March she would like to showcase what other mediums she likes to work in.

Photography has been part of her artistic career for many years; she became a keen photographer when she picked up a camera whilst working on a Primary School project where she grew up at Mt Pleasant in the Adelaide Hills.
When Carol began painting over 35 years ago she found using her own photos as reference meant she always had plenty of unique subject matter close at hand.

In 2007 Carol and her husband Ray moved to Goolwa to give Carol easy access to sand dunes, the river Murray and the Fleurieu coastline. From these photos she felt that some were good enough to exhibit just as photos, so she entered a couple of local exhibitions and enjoyed a small amount of success. Because of this she was invited to join "ROPE" a local photographic group, their first exhibition titled "Driftage" led to a series of photos following a Drifter and her old dog seen along the Fleurieu railways stations and sidings. The photos have been printed in sepia tones to give the railway stations an old world look. The photos showcase the stations starting at Victor Harbor to Currency Creek where the Drifter's dog has passed away and left her all alone, sadly art has imitated life and the old dog has met a tragic death in real life. The series continues using different dogs that have also met tragic endings. One of the main photos of the Drifter at the Goolwa Railway Station won "Viewer's Choice" at the Goolwa Regatta Yacht Club's photographic "River Life" exhibition held in 2011.

Another medium Carol works in from time to time is acrylic, on display is a large painting of a special green beetle she found whilst walking her dog Zoot, she photographed the beetle in a variety of poses and angles and painted it in different sizes, the painting is titled "Coleopterous Coagulation". The beetle was handed on to her friend and photographer Lindy Downing who also had it pose for her and then released into the wild. As well as the beetle painting Carol will showcase 2 portraits, one of a dog and another of a tabby cat, Carol is well known for her cat portraits especially at the Pepper Street Gallery at Magill where they have exclusive "Cat" exhibitions every few years. Cats were her favourite subjects when she first began painting 35 years ago, she has portrayed them using oil, water colour, pen and wash, acrylic and most of all pastel of which they are very well suited to accomplish the softness of their fur.

Carol's unique work is on display at ArtworX gallery in Goolwa   www.artworxgallery.com.au