ABOUT CAROLE CONDÉ

Carole is a fine artist living and working in Gloucestershire.

She began her art career in 2005 and moved to Stroud shortly after. She was immediately inspired by the cattle grazing on the nearby commons and wanted to capture and reflect the monumental beauty of these animals that people don't always take time to recognise. She often chooses to paint cows out of their usual context and, instead, portrays them in front of plain coloured backdrops. By treating them like subjects of more traditional human portraiture, she hopes to elevate their status to that of a ‘someone’ who matters.

The early cattle series led to commissions from others who saw how much love and respect was depicted in them and many bespoke paintings of beloved animals followed.

But it's not all about our four-legged friends. Far from it. Carole is a very versatile artist and has produced work for clients depicting subjects as diverse as human portraiture, vintage bicycles, American fairground rides, Greek and Roman statuary, beautiful country homes and even building sites! Her large charcoal drawing that shows the demolition of the old Whitbread Flowers Brewery in Cheltenham is owned by Cheltenham Museum & Art Gallery and is on display in The Wilson.

Regardless of subject, at the heart of all her work is a deep respect and appreciation for fine draughtsmanship and a love of encouraging the viewer to see beauty in the everyday. 

She continues to work across a range of media and styles, happily switching from traditional set-ups where objects emerge from dark backgrounds to ones with a brighter, more contemporary feel. Whatever their mood, all her still life works combine light, colour, composition and brushstrokes to depict the beauty and detail in everyday items in a way that transcends the object.

Carole gained her Fine Art degree from Birmingham School of Art in 1994. The following year she began teaching drawing and painting to students on pre-degree Art Foundation courses, before taking the plunge a decade later and becoming a full-time artist.

She first exhibited at Spencer House Gallery in summer 2024 when she won our inaugural co-sponsored plein air competition at Painswick Rococo Garden. Her work has been highly sought-after here ever since.