Someone Not Something - animal paintings - ONE SOLD
By Carole Condé
Original artworks
Pastel and charcoal on paper/oil on board
Framed
Bramble - £895
Image size: H:55cm x W:81cm
Framed size: H:73cm x W: 99cm
Master of All He Surveys - £425 - SOLD
Image size: H:25cm x W: 33cm
Framed size: H:26cm x W: 34.5cm
Carole, above all, is a consummate draughtswoman. Her ability to recreate animate and inanimate objects as well as buildings and landscape is of the finest quality and versatility. In fact, she's one of the most versatile artists we have met.
We are showing a range of her work this autumn and winter to reflect the breadth of her mastery of all kinds of media and different subjects - from miniature still lifes to these detailed and beautifully observed animal studies.
Bramble is a Brown Swiss cow who lives near Stroud, belonging to one of Carole's friends. Her sideways glance at the viewer connects her with us as she tosses back her head and pricks up her ears, mid-chew. The texture of her nose and coat are perfectly captured in some fine detail and exquisite marks.
Meanwhile, the tri-colour, long-haired calico cat gazes right out at us, as he majestically reclines. Carole has treated him like a traditional portrait subject, against a dark background, with delicate brush strokes for his features and fur.
ABOUT CAROLE CONDE
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. Most recently, this passion for drawing attention to the overlooked or commonplace has resulted in a new collection of small still life paintings.
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.