Carol Corliss - Monadnock Area Artists Association

Q&A with Carol Corliss

How would you describe your background?

I have always had a love for art and beautiful crafts that make me happy. I took classes and workshops with local artists and worked on my own to learn how to work with pastels.

When did you know you wanted to be an artist?

I have always been interested in art & crafts. As a child I was either reading, making something out of found items, or working with kits from hobby stores. I never thought I could paint and I didn’t realize I could actually learn. My first art teacher told me that art is all about seeing , so I started lessons in acrylic and then eventually pastels.

What would surprise people to learn about you?

My email address, bagel@etc. doesn’t have anything to do with bagels…. We had a dog named Muffin and later a dog named Bagel. I took my dog’s name for my email.

How would you describe your art to someone who has never seen it?

My art is fairly realistic and detailed. Try as I might to be loose and impressionistic, my mind and my hand don’t cooperate!

What achievements in the area of art are you proudest of?

I have become a Signature Member of the Pastel Society of NH and in 2020 I was one of eight artists chosen for the Library Arts Center Selections Show.

Also, when I started in pastels there was a real lack of instructors and workshops in the area of pastels. I asked the then president of MAAA if I could start a workshop committee. I became the chair and this committee was very successful for MAAA and we brought in artists in all mediums.

How would you describe your art process?

I’m sure I have a process but it’s not something I think about. I’m always taking photos of things I love, mostly anything to do with nature. I have way more photos than I could ever paint, but when the mood strikes for the right one, I will sketch it on paper and jump in.

What is your usual studio/working day like?

I don’t, unfortunately, paint every day. Life gets in the way, but I am okay with that. Art is a joy, not a chore and when the time is right, I will paint.

What is the most delightful part of your life outside of work?

Being with family and friends and our new, long awaited, grandson.

ARTIST’S STATEMENT
Carol says, “I love to paint, because I paint what I love.” – Carol’s love of nature combined with the beauty of our natural surroundings is a constant inspiration for her pastel paintings. The subjects she paints are places and things that are close to her heart. Carol wants people viewing her work to feel that they can step into her landscape paintings or run their fingers through the fur in one of her animal paintings. She sees beauty everywhere and hopes that her paintings convey this to the viewer.

Her work has been in many local & national pastel shows, solo shows and on-line shows in which she has won awards. In 2019 Carol was juried into the 2019 Newport Library Arts Center Juried Regional Exhibit. She was also selected as 1 of 8 artists for their Selections 2020 exhibit in March of 2020. Her work has been featured in Monadnock Living Magazine and Monadnock Table. In 2021 she became a Signature Member of the Pastel Society of New Hampshire and in 2022 she became an Associate Member of the Pastel Society of America.

Carol is the current Treasurer for Fall Foliage Art Studio Tour and a past treasurer of the Pastel Society of New Hampshire, Monadnock Area Artists Association and the Saxtons River Art Guild. She is one of the founding members of the River Valley Artisans Tour and current Treasurer. Carol is also a Signature member of Pastel Society of New Hampshire, and a member of Vermont Pastel Society, Pastel Society of Maine and the Central Massachusetts Pastel Society.