Carolyn Lord (1956 - ) Southern California native Carolyn Lord was introduced to the “California Regionalist Watercolor” tradition by James Green in the mid 1970’s while attending Principia College, in Elsah, Illinois. During college she also attended watercolor workshops with Rex Brandt, George Post, and Robert E. Wood.

Two months after college graduation in 1978, Lord had her first solo show at the Maybeck Gallery, Elsah Illinois. The following month, she began exhibiting in Carmel, California, at the Fireside Gallery alongside watercolorists Millard Sheets, Tom Hill, Tom Nicolas, and Gerald Brommer. Lord attended a two week watercolor workshop by Millard Sheets in 1979. In 1983, Millard Sheets recommended Lord’s work to his son David and daughter-in-law, Susan, who were opening the Stary-Sheets Fine Arts, Gualala, California.

Lord’s association with Fireside Gallery and Stary-Sheets Gallery provided the foundation to the relationships that continue to form her career, such as: Paul and Susan Bingham and The Thunderbird Foundation, Michael and Nick Johnson of California Watercolor, George Stern Fine Arts, Calabi Gallery, Knowlton Gallery, Nancy Dodds Gallery, and the California Art Club.

Extensive travel in college and during Lord’s early-career capitalized on watercolor’s portability. There were road trips in California, Oregon, Nevada, Utah, and Colorado as well as international trips to Brazil, Italy, Denmark, England, US and British Virgin Islands, Mexico, and French Polynesia. Lord’s mid-career work has primarily focused on her home state of California: the landscape, architecture, and gardens.

Watercolor society shows provided opportunities to exhibit throughout the United States. Highlights include: National Watercolor Society; California Watercolor Association; Watercolor West; San Diego Watercolor Society; Arizona Aqueous; Oregon Watercolor Society; Rocky Mountain National; Watercolor USA; Adirondack National Exhibition of American Watercolors; Watercolor Art Society-Houston; Red River Watercolor Society, and others.

Lord’s work was first profiled in 1983 on the ‘Watercolor Page’ in American Artist Magazine, followed by articles in Watercolor Magazine; Watercolor Magic; USArt; Southwest Art; and Plein Air.

Watercolor defines Lord’s professional career while pursuing other aspects of art: Studies at the San Francisco Tapestry Workshop and Bay Area Classic Artists Atelier; oil painting; poster designs for Livermore Valley Opera; Art teacher to middle-school boys at the Pacific Boychoir Academy; hand painted glazed ceramic tiles for kitchen and hearth installations; painted theater stage sets; taught figure drawing fundamentals to adults; quilting and embroidery; and by tending her garden she grows her own subject matter for painting.

Interview with Carolyn Lord, by Savvy Painter

Courtesy of CaliforniaWatercolor.com

Artist's Website: https://www.carolynlord.com/