Carol was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area in California, USA. Her education was in science and math although she grew up in a household full of art appreciation. Carol vividly remembers attending one of the first traveling Van Gogh exhibitions to come to San Francisco as a child and being in awe of his work especially the Tree Trunks with Ivy masterpiece. It was then that Carol felt a need to be involved with art.
Carol took up photography while in junior high. She honed her skills on a small Brownie camera in high school and graduated to a borrowed camera during college when she took a nature photography class. She loved finding patterns and unique structures in nature. Carol spent hours searching for artist landscapes, tree bark patterns or rock structures which evoked one’s imagination.
But Carol became “practical” in college and majored in the growing IT field that boasted well-paying jobs. Although she continued with her photography, it took a distant second to her career and raising a family. Once she retired, Carol had time to rekindle her love for science and art and found a way to passionately merge the two. She had attended a presentation of images of crystals taken through the microscope using polarized light and was mesmerized by the extraordinary dazzling world with unique natural structures and patterns.
Carol has mastered the process of creating intricate micro-crystal arrangements that captivate viewers and stimulate their imagination to interpret an abstract pattern into a familiar scene. She frequently experiments with combining chemicals and applying different techniques, resulting in unique crystals and incredible results. Carol’s ongoing Elements in Wine series consists of growing a diverse group of crystals from various components commonly found in wine. She recently started her next series, Elements of Life, which exhibits crystal images of life-sustaining amino acids. Once completed, Carol plans to start on another crystal series consisting of vitamins.
Carol’s art has been invited and juried into numerous exhibitions both in the US and Internationally. Her art has won multiple awards. In addition, she has been featured in several print and online art magazines.
Carol loves being able to bring a phenomenally magnificent hidden world to the public that so few people realize exists. She strives to share the intense and dazzling beauty of micro-crystal fine art photography with others and encourage them to interpret the abstract forms without restraint.
Through her art, Carol hopes the viewer feels inspired and empowered. She looks for crystal images filled with positive emotion and create a hopeful tenor.
Carol and her husband live in Southern California with their oddball orange tabby cat, Gunther, and very talkative African Gray parrot, Einstein. In addition, she and her husband have together co-authored nine photography related books. She has been active in multiple art associations, including curating for several art shows. Carol has recently created a clothing and accessories line, Crystal Art Outfitters, which showcases her art.
